Facebook and Text Messages Encourage Youth to Vote

A non-profit organization Generation Opportunity has released poll results on young adult engagement for the 2012 presidential election and the tools likely to make the biggest impact on encouraging young voters to show up at the polls on November 6th.

The poll of Millennial voters (young adults ages 18-29) found that of the “Get Out the Vote” (GOTV) reminder tools that will have an impact on young voter turnout, Facebook ranked first at 59 percent and text messages ranked second at 50 percent.

Only 18 percent of Millennials thought a phone message would be effective – a clear indication that smartphones and other mobile devices have reached a point of heavy market penetration within the demographic.

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In addition to the poll results, Generation Opportunity also launched the Pledge to GO Vote Campaign aimed at further increasing the already growing enthusiasm and interest among young adults to participate in the presidential election.

Generation Opportunity poll results also found that 76 percent of young adults indicate they will participate in the 2012 presidential election while only 38 percent believe today’s elected leaders represent their concerns.

Generation Opportunity is encouraging its supporters, their friends, and all those within their networks to Pledge to GO Vote. You can read more about the initiative and sign the pledge here at GenerationOpportunity.org/vote.

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“Given the poor economy, high unemployment, and lack of full-time jobs, it is absolutely no surprise that young Americans are highly engaged in the outcome of the presidential election – they know their futures are at stake. For the past several years, through social media and other personal networks, they have gained and provided support to one another as they worked to make ends meet in the face of delayed dreams and stalled careers,” said Paul T. Conway, president of Generation Opportunity and former Chief of Staff of the United States Department of Labor.

“They are constantly discussing the economy and have reached the conclusion that America is on the wrong track and that elected leaders lack the empathy and practical understanding to fully represent their concerns. As a generation, they want more than a status quo marked by unemployment, a series of part-time jobs, and fewer meaningful, full-time jobs. In the last weeks before the election, they will use social media to encourage one another to vote to change their lives for the better.”

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For Generation Opportunity, the polling company, inc./WomanTrend conducted a nationwide online survey of 1,003 American adults ages 18-29 between July 27 and July 31, 2012. The poll results were announced Tuesday, Oct. 23.

Generation Opportunity is a non-profit, non-partisan organization in the United States engaging and mobilizing young Americans (ages 18-29) on important economic issues facing the nation.