Youth Abroad: How America's Young Voters Are Shaping Global Politics

Imagine you are a young American voter in 2024, fresh out of college, scrolling through news about the election. You see headlines about the economy, immigration, and maybe a bit about foreign policy. But you also see a lot of noise — trust in government is low, and you're not sure your vote matters. Now, pull back. That scenario played out for millions of 18-to-29-year-olds last year, and the results were telling. Youth turnout fell to 47% in 2024, down from 50% in 2020, but still above 39% in 2016 (CIRCLE). This isn't just a domestic story. It's a story about how American youth are engaging with politics in a way that echoes global trends and has implications for international politics.

The Global Context: A Decline That Isn't Ours Alone

Before we dive into the American specifics, it's worth noting that the U.S. is not an outlier in seeing turnout challenges. According to International IDEA, the global average turnout in national elections fell from about 78% in the 1940s–1980s to 70% in the 1990s and 66% in 2011–15. That decline is driven in part by post-communist Europe, but it's a reminder that democratic participation is a fragile thing everywhere. Yet, here's the twist: in the U.S., turnout remains relatively high compared to that global average. In 2024, 64.3% of the voting-eligible population cast a ballot, per UF Election Lab. So, while we're not perfect, we're not in freefall. But for young people, the numbers are starker.

Who Are the Youth Who Do Vote? A Profile

If you're a young voter who did show up in 2024, you're more likely to be a woman, white, and college-educated. Women voted at 50% versus 41% for men in the youth bracket (CIRCLE). White youth turned out at 55%, while Black and Latino youth lagged at 34% and 32%, respectively. And college students? They voted at 53%, outpacing the 47% for all youth (CIRCLE). This pattern matters because it means the youth voice is not monolithic. It's skewed toward certain demographics, and that has consequences for policy priorities.

What Youth Want: The Issues That Cross Borders

When you ask young voters what they care about, the economy tops the list. In 2024, 40% of youth said the economy and jobs was their top issue, and those who prioritized it voted for Trump by a 22-point margin (CIRCLE). Immigration was third, and those voters went for Trump by nearly 70 points. This is a significant shift from 2020, when youth favored Biden by a wide margin. In 2024, Harris won youth 52% to 46%, but Trump's gains were real — he won the youth vote in 17 states, up from just 7 in 2020 (CIRCLE). This isn't just about domestic policy; it's a signal to international observers that American youth are not uniformly progressive on global issues like immigration.

The Trust Gap: A Barrier to Engagement

One of the biggest obstacles to youth engagement is a deep-seated distrust in institutions. Only 22% of Americans trust the government to do what is right most of the time (Pew). Among youth, just 16% believe democracy is working for them, and only 36% think U.S. democracy can address the issues the country faces (CIRCLE). This distrust extends to media — only 30% trust the news overall (Reuters). So, when you're a young person, you're less likely to believe that your vote can change anything. That's a recipe for disengagement, and it's a problem not just for the U.S. but for any democracy that wants to maintain legitimacy on the world stage.

What Can Be Done? The Field Report

So, what's the single best move for a candidate or a civic organization looking to boost youth engagement? It's not about making voting easier — though that helps. It's about building trust through direct, personal interaction. The data shows that 74% of youth trust their peers and personal networks, while only 1 in 5 trust major tech companies (CIRCLE). And here's a concrete example: Minnesota had the highest youth turnout in 2024 at 62%, and it's no coincidence that it has automatic voter registration and pre-registration for 16-year-olds (CIRCLE). But even more than that, Minnesota's youth are civically engaged because they have a culture of participation — they're more likely to be in community, and that matters. In fact, 61% of youth who didn't vote said they rarely or never spend in-person time with their community, versus 47% of voters (CIRCLE).

So, my recommendation is blunt: if you want to reach young voters, you need to meet them where they are — literally, in person. That means going to campuses, community centers, and even online spaces, but always with a human face. It means building relationships, not just sending texts. It means listening to their concerns about the economy and immigration, not just telling them what to think.

Bottom Line

The best move for any political actor, domestic or international, is to invest in face-to-face engagement with young people, because trust is built through personal connection, not through ads or algorithms. The numbers are clear: youth who are connected to their communities vote at higher rates. So, if you want to shape the future of politics, start by showing up — in person.

Sources

• CIRCLE (Tufts) / 2024 youth turnout estimate - https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/new-data-nearly-half-youth-voted-2024
• CIRCLE (Tufts) / 25 things young voters 2025 - https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/25-things-we-learned-about-young-voters-2025
• UF Election Lab / turnout data - https://election.lab.ufl.edu/data-archive/
• Pew Research Center (2024) - https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/06/24/americans-trust-in-federal-government-and-attitudes-toward-it/
• Reuters Institute / Digital News Report 2025 (US) - https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2025/united-states
• International IDEA / Voter Turnout Trends around the World - https://www.idea.int/publications/catalogue/voter-turnout-trends-around-world?lang=en