Date
5-9-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
History has shown that young voters have been known to be a lagging demographic when it comes to voter turnout in general elections. However, in 2020 there was a sudden spike in voter turnout in the age group of 18-24-year-olds. This sudden spike in voter turnout can be explained by the societal changes the youth demographic faced due to the Covid-19 pandemic and isolation protocols. Due to social distancing, normal in-person political participation shifted to online environments, especially on social media. Through social media, young people began to become more engaged politically as they gained access to political information and discourse about their political ideology and opinions. This increase of non-traditional political engagement through social media inspired young people to continue their political impact by showing up to the polls in the 2020 general election.
Department
Political Science
Thesis Comittee
Dr. Brian Frederick, Thesis Advisor
Dr. Rachel Navarre, Committee Member
Dr. Jessica Birthisel, Committee Member
Recommended Citation
Gilmartin, Mary. (2023). The Relationship Between Social Media Usage During the Covid-19 Pandemic, and Its Effect on the Youth Voter Turnout in the 2020 General Election. In BSU Honors Program Theses and Projects. Item 609. Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/honors_proj/609
Copyright © 2023 Mary Gilmartin