Can Facebook Inspire Youth to Vote?
In answer to the question of which communications tool would be most likely to get more young Americans to vote, 66% of Millennials indicated in a survey that Facebook reminder messages, 58% indicated text reminder messages, 38% indicated email reminder messages, 28% indicated public service announcements, and 13% indicated telephone reminders.
Generation Opportunity released Tuesday, Dec. 20, more polling information from its national survey of young adults ages 18-29. The newly released data underscores the ongoing power of social media and text messaging as communication tools with the highest likelihood of getting more young Americans to vote.
[ Also Read: Five Bitter Truths about Social Media ]The polling data was made available during the same week that Generation Opportunity, which was publicly announced in June of 2011, topped a combined total of two million fans on its Facebook pages “Being American” and “The Constitution.”
“Our data underscores the ongoing power of social media and text messaging among the generation hardest hit by record unemployment and the poor economy. Young adults use these technologies daily to discuss how the economy has delayed their futures and how to manage their lives in the midst of very little economic opportunity,” said Paul T. Conway, the president of Generation Opportunity and former Chief of Staff of the United States Department of Labor.
“One message from young adults is abundantly clear – they are tired of the status quo in Washington and have lost patience with elected leaders who are more focused on their own re-elections than on fixing the issues that have put America on the wrong track.”
[ Also Read: Can Obama Jobs Plan Reduce Poverty in America? ]Generation Opportunity is a social media and grassroots organization focused on organizing and mobilizing young adults through a strategy based on social media and ground operations.
Previously released data from the same Generation Opportunity survey of young adults indicated that 69% believe the current leadership in Washington fails to represent the interests of young people, 61% said they would vote based on a candidates standing on the issues or record in office versus their charisma, 57% said that in 2012 they will learn more about the policy positions of presidential candidates than they did in 2008, and only 31% approve of President Obama’s handling of youth unemployment.
