Celebrity endorsements have sparked an increase in the number of young voters, according to a recent study released by Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.
According to the study published in the October issue of the Journal of Mass Communication and Society, the total number of voters between the ages of 18 and 24 increased by 11 percent between 2000 and 2004. The result was marked from an ultimate low in the late 1990s with young voter turnout.
Researchers partially attribute the rise to positive effects of celebrity endorsements, according to the study.
Donald Downs, political science professor at the University of Wisconsin, said there are a number of factors that account for the recent rise in young voters. These factors include the different issues raised by each candidate’s platform coupled with the current bad economic times.
Downs added he would not accredit the rise in voters solely to celebrities.
“We live in a more celebrity-oriented culture than ever, which may or may not be a good thing,” Downs said.
According to the study, disinterest in voting amongst the 18-to-24 age set can be linked to growing apathy and self-absorption.
“I would say that the biggest cause for apathy is a feeling that politicians don’t care about students,” said Tony Uhl, chair of Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group, a student organization that managed the New Voters Project this semester. “Many students feel that decisions are made on a national level and have no impact on them because politicians physically do not work on issues that young people care about.”
According to Uhl, celebrity endorsements have the potential to bridge the gap between politics and young society by making politics seem “popular and cool.”
“Celebrities are the people who young teenagers look up to. By seeing celebrities pressuring students to get involved with politics and voting, it makes it seem that students can actually make a difference as opposed to feeling alienated by a political system that seems to focus on older people with a lot of money,” Uhl said.
Claire Rydell, chair of the College Democrats at UW, said that celebrity initiatives energize students to realize they are a legitimate political voice that should be listened to. By endorsing candidates, celebrities are trying to use their public role as a means of inspiring others.
“We look up to celebrities, we identify with them and see them as figures of importance,” Rydell said.
Rydell added it is nice to have celebrities reaching out to young people because it allows voters to look at politics as extending beyond Washington, D.C.
According to Downs, in a society that has become increasingly saturated with media influence, it is possible celebrity political endorsements are only “exacerbating the overemphasis in our society on celebrities.”
Sara Mikolajczak, chair of the UW College Republicans, said that she does not give any value to celebrity endorsements.
“I feel that they really are a publicity stunt. If a student wants to become involved in politics, they need to do research so as to make an intelligent and informed decision. They cannot look to someone who they see in a movie,” Mikolajczak said.
Downs added that he hopes that celebrities legitimately care about getting out the student vote.
“They don’t really have anything personally to gain from pressuring students to vote other than face time on TV, so I really do hope that it is an altruistic feeling that they want to get out the student vote so that students can be represented.”
