Young Voters Support Elected Officials Using Social Media in an Effort to Make Themselves More Relatable
By Dahlia Lyss
American lawmakers hardly look like the people that they are elected to represent. According to Pew, 75% of members of Congress are white, compared to 59% of Americans as a whole. Not only are the members of Congress not as racially diverse as the American electorate, they also are much older than the average American: Two-thirds of senators are between the ages of 59 and 77.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the vast majority of American voters find it difficult to relate to their elected representatives. A recent poll by Data for Progress finds that although young voters do not feel as though they can relate to their elected officials on a personal level, they support actions taken by lawmakers that allow them glimpses into their personal lives and minds.
Very few Americans feel as though they can relate to their elected officials on a personal level. By a -45-point margin, likely voters answer that they cannot relate to their lawmakers.
While older American voters are less likely to view lawmakers who post about non-political events on social media favorably, the younger generation of voters, ages 18 to 34, have favorable views of politicians who use memes and other pop culture references. Net favorability for lawmakers who post about non-political events on social media jumps from a -45-point margin to a +7-point margin when comparing likely voters aged 65+ and likely voters between the ages of 18 and 34.
While older American voters are less likely to view lawmakers who post about non-political events on social media favorably, the younger generation of voters, ages 18 to 34, have favorable views of politicians who use memes and other pop culture references. Net favorability for lawmakers who post about non-political events on social media jumps from a -45-point margin to a +7-point margin when comparing likely voters aged 65+ and likely voters between the ages of 18 and 34.
Young people, on the other hand, show approval for all of the ways that lawmakers use their social media accounts. Where lawmakers posting about their personal lives on social media enjoys only 38% approval among all likely voters, it enjoys 51% approval among voters 18-34.
We find that likely voters do not believe that lawmakers should post about pop culture on social media. Seventy-one percent of all voters believe that lawmakers should focus their energies on passing legislation that materially benefits the American people rather than posting relatable content on social media. However, younger voters are more likely to believe that lawmakers should post more relatable content than any other age group: 50% agree with all likely voters, yet 39% are in support of lawmakers relating to their constituents by discussing topics other than politics.
The American electorate has a difficult time relating to lawmakers, but it is clear that young voters are searching for ways to feel more connected to their elected officials. While young voters think that lawmakers should primarily focus on policy outcomes, they appreciate ways that lawmakers have made themselves more relatable by posting about their personal lives and popular culture.
Dahlia Lyss is a research associate at Data for Progress..
Survey Methodology
From August 10 to 11, 2023, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1,202 likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, geography, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±3 percentage points.