Nonvoters 2020: Counted Out

Although more Americans voted in November’s presidential election than in any other in the last century, about one-third of eligible voters did not cast ballots—and, by a wider margin than in the past, it’s because they simply did not want to. According to a Medill School of Journalism/NPR/Ipsos survey of 1,103 nonvoters and 740 voters conducted last month, nonvoters in 2020 feel more apathetic and politically alienated than in the past and unsure about what would motivate them to vote in the future. Voters express more hopelessness, too.

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Family and friends influence whether you vote

Voting has always been a defining individual American liberty, but the decision to use that right may actually depend on other people – family and friends. For those who did not vote in the 2020 presidential election, a vast majority said that they knew few, if any, family members who voted this year. Nonvoting may be a family affair, which means changing that tradition will be a hard task for activists and politicians trying to increase voting participation.

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Nonvoters say politicians don't care

Eight in 10 Americans who didn’t vote in the presidential election said that traditional parties and politicians don’t care about people like them, according to a Medill School of Journalism/NPR/IPSOS survey. But voters weren’t far behind – seven in 10 agree that there is a disconnect between politicians and the public.

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Young nonvoters unmotivated to vote

Why are young Americans, experiencing the first financial crisis of their careers, making the choice not to vote? Although young nonvoters are more likely than other age groups to say something prevented them from voting, the deeper problem is that they don’t believe politicians will help them get through financial strains. Young nonvoters – Billy, Adam, Christina and Levi – explain why voting didn’t make it to their to-do lists this year.

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Black nonvoters want change

Despite the first Black woman winning office in the 2020 presidential election, some Black nonvoters have concerns with the incoming administration.

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Nonvoters say it doesn't matter who is president

According to a Medill School of Journalism/NPR/Ipsos survey, 53% of nonvoters agreed that it makes no difference who is elected president and things go on just as they did before, compared with only 24% of voters who felt the same way.

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Misinformation keeps some felons from voting

Because of confusion around felony disenfranchisement laws, Richard Worthington didn’t vote this year – or any year prior.

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Felony disenfranchisement leaves millions unable to vote

Michael Lynam cannot vote because he has two felony convictions, and he lives in Arizona. For thousands of formerly incarcerated Americans, state laws restrict their right to vote long after they have served their sentences.

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Latino nonvoters distrust the system

Hispanic nonvoters to not participate in the democratic process in a state where nearly 40% of the population identifies as Latino. Some of those who lean Republican believe their vote is certainly not enough to flip the state, while many of those who favor the Democratic Party think their vote is not needed. California Latino nonvoters tell us what they think their vote doesn’t count.

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The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications and National Public Radio have partnered to release a national survey of nonvoters from the 2020 election.
 
Despite record high turnout for the November presidential election, the survey found that most nonvoters did not cite impediments to going to the polls but instead chose not to vote due to widespread feelings of political alienation, apathy and lack of hope.
 
The quadrennial question remained: What kept the 80 million Americans who didn’t vote away from the polls on Election Day?

To answer that question, the Medill School of Journalism’s Washington Program, in partnership with National Public Radio, commissioned a survey of 1,103 nonvoters and 740 voters conducted by Ipsos from Nov. 4 to Nov. 13. 
 
Then the Washington Program’s graduate students interviewed many of the nonvoters surveyed to give voice to those who didn’t cast ballots and better understand their reasons for opting out of the basic American right to vote.
 
Here are the stories of America’s nonvoters in 2020.

Apathetic

This year’s survey found that the 80 million people who didn’t vote in this presidential election are more set in their belief that voting just doesn’t matter.

Nonvoters in 2020 were about three times as likely to think that “I’m only one person, so my vote doesn’t make a difference.”

Over half of nonvoters said they believed that who was elected president made no difference—more than double the number of voters who said the same.

And when nonvoters were asked what would encourage people like them to vote in the future, one in three responded “nothing.”

When nonvoters were asked why they didn’t cast a ballot in 2020, their top responses reflected apathy too.

Alienated

Nonvoters surveyed in 2020 expressed feelings of alienation from the political process and isolation from voters en large.

Nonvoters said they mostly socialize with other nonvoters and rarely discuss politics with friends or family when compared with voters.

Fewer nonvoters than voters said they follow the news by watching TV, surfing the web or reading the news every day or several days a week.

Almost half of nonvoters said that what happens in Washington does not affect them personally compared with a third of voters

A Lack of Hope

 

For some questions, voters and nonvoters had no problem seeing eye to eye.

About 70% of both voters and nonvoters in the survey said that the country is on the wrong track.

Nonvoters were more likely than voters to believe that politicians and political parties just don’t care about people like them—but only by a few percentage points. The majority of both voters and nonvoters agreed with the statement.

A majority of both voters and nonvoters also agreed that “the mainstream media is more interested in making money than telling the truth” and that the American economy is “rigged to advantage the rich and powerful.”

Counted Out: A podcast about the nonvoters of 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Methodology

The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communication, in partnership with National Public Radio, commissioned Ipsos to conduct a survey of U.S. adults to better understand the reasons why some American did not vote in the 2020 presidential election.

Ipsos used its Ipsos KnowledgePanel research methodology. The panel members are recruited through probability sampling methods using address-based sampling. Panel members who do not have internet access are provided with a netbook and internet service. Because KnowledgePanel is probability-based and avoids self-selection bias, it provides a reliable, representative sample of the population.

The approximately 15-minute survey of 1,843 adults – 1,103 nonvoters and 740 voters – began Nov. 4 and ended Nov. 13; it was fielded in both English and Spanish, and it could be answered on mobile phone, tablet or computer.

The margin of sampling error among the total sample is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.58 percentage points for all respondents. The margins of sampling error for nonvoters and voters are plus or minus 3.5 and 3.9 percentage points, respectively, at the 95% confidence level.

The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communication, in partnership with National Public Radio, commissioned Ipsos to conduct a survey of U.S. adults to better understand the reasons why some American did not vote in the 2020 presidential election.

Ipsos used its Ipsos KnowledgePanel research methodology. The panel members are recruited through probability sampling methods using address-based sampling. Panel members who do not have internet access are provided with a netbook and internet service. Because KnowledgePanel is probability-based and avoids self-selection bias, it provides a reliable, representative sample of the population.

The approximately 15-minute survey of 1,843 adults – 1,103 nonvoters and 740 voters – began Nov. 4 and ended Nov. 13; it was fielded in both English and Spanish, and it could be answered on mobile phone, tablet or computer.

The margin of sampling error among the total sample is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.58 percentage points for all respondents. The margins of sampling error for nonvoters and voters are plus or minus 3.5 and 3.9 percentage points, respectively, at the 95% confidence level.

Published in conjunction with  NPR  and