Poll: A majority of Americans have participated in democracy this campaign season

2 in 5 Americans have shared political content online in the past six months

by CRAIG HELMSTETTER | Nov. 1, 2024

New findings from the McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s latest Mood of the Nation Poll show that a majority of Americans have engaged in at least one type of political activity over the course of this year’s campaign season.

Poll director and Penn State professor Eric Plutzer commented, “That 6 in 10 citizens was actively involved in at least one activity suggests that citizen engagement is high, and only a minority are treating the election as a spectator sport.”

Of the seven activities listed in the survey, conducted Sept. 23-27 among 1,000 adults, sharing political messages online was the most common, followed by trying to convince someone else how to vote.

While both the Trump and Harris campaigns have made claims about the large size of their own campaign events — and tried to diminish the rallies held by their opponents — attending such events ranked lower on the list.

Online participation and trying to convince others who to vote for has been fairly common

Overall, online participation in the democratic process is more common than either engaging in person or participating through monetary contributions. One-third of adults had posted their own political message online, 2 in 5 had shared a political message online and over one-third had tried to convince someone to change their vote, either online or by some other means.

Rates of online participation and trying to convince others who to vote for are similar regardless of whether someone identifies as Democrat or Republican, or favors Vice President Harris or former President Trump in the election.

Fewer political independents and non-voters engaged with the democratic process online or by trying to convince others how to vote.

In terms of demographic groupings, online participation in the democratic process was not higher among younger than older generations.

Instead, education appears most strongly related to political participation online. Forty percent of those with a college degree had posted their own political message online, compared to 29% of those with a high school diploma or less education.

Nearly half of those with a college degree had attempted to convince someone to vote for another candidate, compared to only one-quarter of those with a high school diploma or less education.

Those who had shared a political message online were asked which platform or platforms they had used. Facebook was by far the most popular, with two-thirds indicating they had used that platform. Nearly one-quarter indicated that they had shared political content on X (formerly known as Twitter) and one-fifth said they had shared political content on Instagram.

Nearly one-quarter say they have contributed financially to a political candidate

Twenty-three percent of American adults indicated they had recently contributed money “to a candidate running for public office or to a group working to elect a candidate,” and nearly one-fifth had recently contributed money “to a political organization focused on a specific issue.”

A larger proportion of Harris supporters than Trump supporters had recently contributed money to a campaign (32% compared to 24%), and that difference was even larger when it came to financial contributions to organizations (27% compared to 17%). Less than ten percent of non-voters had contributed money to either campaigns or causes.

In terms of demographic characteristics, the biggest differences in political participation via financial contributions follow lines of education and income. About twice as many college-educated adults made financial contributions than those without a college degree, and more than twice as many of those in the highest income group made contributions than those in the lowest income group.

Fewer than 1 in 5 attended rallies and protests

Even though the survey was conducted only six weeks prior to a presidential election, relatively few Americans indicate that they have recently engaged in the political process in person by attending a rally or protest. Overall, 17% had been to a political rally or campaign event, and 13% indicated that they had attended a protest or demonstration.

So-called "swing states," where the polls show an especially tight race for the presidency, have been the focus of both major party campaigns. While it would seem that residents of these states would have had more opportunities to attend in-person rallies or campaign events, only 14% of swing state residents said they had been to at least one rally or event, statistically tied with those living in other states.

Similar proportions of Harris and Trump supporters have attended political rallies, but a somewhat larger proportion of Harris supporters indicate that they have attended at least one protest or demonstration in the past six months (17% compared to 8%).

Along demographic lines, the most notable difference in in-person political participation is by generation, with about one-quarter of those in the youngest generation, Gen Z, saying they have attended a political rally or campaign event and attended a protest or demonstration in the past six months. In comparison, fewer than 1 in 10 of those in Generation X report participating in these activities.

Plutzer noted, “One surprising finding is that younger Americans were not only more likely to attend a protest but also more likely to attend traditional campaign events than their elders. Despite their financial situation, many made donations to candidates or causes. This suggests that Gen Z may become an especially involved generation in the future.”

Participation across a range of activities

While 2 in 5 respondents indicated that they did not participate in any of the activities listed in the survey, a strong (3 in 5) majority have engaged with the democratic process in at least one way. One-third engaged in three or more of the activities.

The number of different types of political activities that Americans engage in is very similar regardless of whether they identify as Democrat or Republican. A somewhat larger proportion of Harris supporters than Trump supporter have participated in at least three of the types of political activities listed in this survey, but that difference is not dramatic (42% compared to 34%).

The more dramatic difference is between those attached to a major party and those independents who are not, between those who are planning to vote in the presidential election and those who are not, and between those who are at least moderately supportive of democracy and those who are not. Over half of those not otherwise attached to the political system did not engage in any of the seven political activities listed in this survey.

Demographically, the most educated and highest income groups tended to engage in the political process in a wider variety of ways. Nearly half of respondents from those groups participated in three or more different types of the political activities listed in the survey.

PARTNER FOR THIS SURVEY

The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State promotes scholarship and practical innovations that defend and advance democracy in the United States and abroad. Through teaching, research and public outreach, the Institute leverages the resources of Penn State and partners around the world to foster a model of deliberation, policymaking and responsiveness that is passionate, informed and civil.

The Institute’s Mood of the Nation poll offers a unique approach to public opinion polling. It allows Americans to speak in their own words through open-ended questions that focus on emotions like anger and hope, as well as commitment to constitutional principles.

For earlier findings from our collaboration with the McCourtney Institute, see our Mood of the Nation landing page.

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