A new study shows that celebrity-endorsed get-out-the-vote programs were actually effective in getting young people to vote in the 2004 election.
“Celebrities have the power to motivate civic engagement regardless of their own grasp of the issues at hand,” according to a study by Washington State University published in the Mass Communication and Society journal.
The study, based on a survey of 305 students at the university, contrasted with a number of other polls which indicated celebrity endorsements of presidential candidates were unlikely to sway votes,
It said: “Celebrity endorsed campaigns successfully lowered complacency and helped young people believe in their own impact on the political system. Young people got involved at higher levels and became increasingly aware of societal issues.”
The study, led by Erica Austin, researched the influence of “get out the vote” campaigns in 2004 involving Knowles, Aguilera, Combs and other celebrities. It quoted a Pace University poll in 2004 which showed 44 percent of newly registered voters were ages 18 to 25.
The study found that “the cause of this dramatic increase in voter participation of young people in 2004 can largely be attributed to celebrity get-out-the-vote promotions.”
About 44 million people aged 18 to 29 are eligible to vote in the November 4 presidential election. If young voter turnout exceeded 50 percent, it would be only the third time since the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1972.
Turnout among young voters peaked at 55 percent in 1972 and dropped to 40 percent in 1996 and 2000, but it rebounded to 49 percent in 2004.
So there you go.
To those of you who claim I’m just a blow-hard sitting at home in my pajamas eating fudge and talking shit about poor innocent people: I’ll have you know that, while sitting at home in my pajamas and eating fudge, I am personally creating the fame that will change the world.
Ta-da!
:)
I don’t know what kind of tactics work in America, but these series of posters were the most ridiculous things I have ever seen.
The “dramatic increase” they are referring to is an 11 point difference from 00 to 04. Did they also factor in the effects of 9/11? The Iraq War? I’m sorry but celebrities don’t do very much for the cause–if anything they can or their muzzles can turn people off. It would be interesting to see if the trend between amount of money invested in celeb get out the vote, which is more dramatic compared to 2004, had continued this upward trend.
I know this is very un pc, but there is simply no denying that there are, and will always be, a certain percentage of people who simply should not vote, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with age. I just do not get all the hype on “getting out the vote”. If a person know’s nothing about the issues and just blindly punches holes, or lets someone else tell them how to vote, it is a diservice to all of those who really do understand the issues. That percentage of people would do the rest of us a favor by staying home.
THAT IS THE MOST STUPIDIEST CRAPS i have ever read.
its irrelevant as the source is out of date. get some new datas or studies then i might be interested in reading political garbage.
I’ll be happy to send you a crow bar to get your head out of your ass.
…interesting and scary**=)