New Research Indicates Racial Justice is Top Factor Motivating Young Voters of Color

National poll reveals structural inequality, police brutality and coronavirus pandemic are at top of minds for young voters of color heading to the polls.
National poll reveals structural inequality, police brutality and coronavirus pandemic are at top of minds for young voters of color heading to the polls.

New Research Indicates Racial Justice is Top Factor Motivating Young Voters of Color

     The national survey of 1,915 eligible Black, Latinx, Native and Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) voters ages 18-24 years old, found that young people of color were best motivated to vote with bold messages centering on the issues they care most about: racism and systemic inequality.
     Key findings of the national polling (margin of error +/- 3%) and three focus groups include the following:
     The top issues motivating young voters to cast a ballot this November are: racial justice, the coronavirus pandemic and police brutality.
     Concerns about coronavirus exposure, confusion about new voting methods, worries about the post office, and lack of awareness of vote-by-mail indicate more education is needed on how to vote.
     While young people of color are broadly skeptical of the nation’s political system, they remain engaged in their communities: 27% of respondents reported they had protested this year and 25% reported volunteering their time with a nonprofit or charity in 2020.
     Qualitative data show many feel very much left out of the political process and conversation.
     Messaging describing voting as a “duty of all citizens in a democracy” resonated the least with young voters of color.
     “Young people of color have led the racial justice movement this summer with significant wins around policing. They are leading racial justice campaigns in the streets and intend to vote on the issues that mean the most to their communities this fall,” said Judith Browne Dianis, executive director of Advancement Project National Office.
     Survey results indicate that seventy-eight percent (78%) of young voters of color have taken one or more political actions this year, including signing a petition, posting or sharing content online, and protesting. One in four said they had participated in a protest.
     “National, state and local groups reaching out to young people of color during the election season should talk explicitly about racism, injustice and inequality,” Jorge L. Vasquez Jr., Power and Democracy Program Director at Advancement Project National Office. “We must continue educating young voters about how to safely and securely cast a ballot in 2020. Clear communications about available voting options will help address their understandable anxiety about unfamiliar voting methods and COVID-19 exposure at the polls.”
     Advancement Project National Office’s Young Voters of Color Get Out the Vote digital campaign focuses on reaching and helping to educate low-propensity young voters of color, first-time voters, and young voters of color who are eligible to vote, but are currently unregistered.
     Visit www.advancementproject.org for more information.

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