Gen Z and Millennials Are Undecided in the 2024 Election

A third of young voters aged 18 to 34 say they are undecided about who they will vote for in the 2024 presidential election, a recent poll showed, signaling an opportunity for candidates to attract this key voting bloc in the upcoming presidential polls.

The survey by the non-partisan Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University found that young voters were highly motivated to vote. Thirty-seven percent want to vote for a Democrat, while 25 percent will side with a Republican. Seven percent would vote for a third-party or independent candidate, they said.

The 2024 election is set to begin in earnest in a little over six weeks, with the Iowa caucuses slated to kick-off on January 15 where Republican presidential candidates will compete for a chance to replace Democratic President Joe Biden at the White House.

The youth vote promises to be a critical bloc in determining the next election, according to the CIRCLE study, which found that in the next election cycle, there will be 40 million potential new Gen Z voters, a fifth of the overall electorate.

"Together with the youngest millennials, young people ages 18 to 34 are poised to be a potential force in the next presidential election," they said.

Young Voters Appreciate Candidate Outreach

Young voters tend to appreciate candidates who make the time to reach out to them, Alberto Medina, CIRCLE's Communications team lead, told Newsweek.

"There's always a huge need for young people, and especially the youngest potential voters who have just aged into the electorate, to hear from candidates and campaigns," Medina said.

But campaigns tend to be inconsistent in the way they approach the youth vote, he said.

"Youth without college experience tend to be contacted much less than youth in college or with college degrees," Medina told Newsweek. "There's still plenty of time for candidates and parties across the political spectrum to reach out, but they should do it soon and often."

Meanwhile, the poll also found that among young voters that are highly motivated to vote, 51 percent prefer a Democrat in 2024, 30 percent a Republican and 16 percent are still undecided.

These voters are typically more likely to have settled on who they are going to vote for, according to Medina, but that does not mean there are no opportunities to persuade the undecided ones from voting for a specific candidate.

"That still means that 1 in 6 young people who are extremely likely to vote have not yet made up their minds," Medina pointed out. "There are always opportunities to speak and listen to youth on issues they care about with the hope of persuading them, but that requires strong and consistent outreach."

"The high share of undecided voters (31 percent) among all youth in our survey is notable, though not totally unexpected far out from the election," CIRCLE said in its report.

Undecided Voters Span Political Spectrum

The survey found that the undecideds are spread across the political spectrum. Thirty-five percent of undecideds voted for President Biden four years ago, while 15 percent voted for former President Trump.

In the survey, CIRCLE did not ask about specific candidates and the enthusiasm over a potential rematch of Biden versus Trump.

"It is fair to say that youth have at times expressed their lack of excitement about those two presumed nominees. However, that does not necessarily mean there is a lack of excitement about voting," Medina told Newsweek.

Close to 60 percent of those surveyed said they are extremely likely to vote and are willing to throw their support based on the issues, CIRCLE said.

In 2024, the economy will be top of mind in deciding how young voters cast their support. Inflation and the cost of living was their number-one concern, with 52 percent of those surveyed including it as one of their top-three issue in terms of priorities, followed by jobs that pay a living wage at 28 percent, gun violence prevention at 26 percent and climate change also garnering the support of 26 percent.

"We have consistently found that young people are most focused on issues and will vote primarily based on who they believe will take action on their concerns, whether or not they are 'excited' about a candidate," Medina told Newsweek.

The Pre-2024 Election Youth Survey was developed by CIRCLE and conducted by polling firm Ipsos between October 25 and November 2, 2023, with a sample size of 2,017 self-reported U.S. citizens aged 18 to 34, CIRCLE said.

Update: 12/04/23, 5:30 p.m. ET: This article was updated to add comment by a CIRCLE official.