How a far off war influences young American voters

In 2014, The Washington Post published an article with the headline, “BREAKING: Voters (still) don’t care about foreign policy.” 

Breaking news in 2024: Now they do. 

A decade later – amid two major global conflicts – early polls indicate this truism may no longer be indicative of voting patterns. According to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in December – roughly two months after Israel’s war in Gaza began – about four in 10 U.S. adults listed foreign policy topics as a necessary focus for the government. 

Among young people, concern about foreign affairs may be even more pronounced. A January Economist/YouGov poll revealed 82% of youth aged 18 to 29 said foreign policy was somewhat or very important to them. 

Many young liberal voters are particularly concerned with President Joe Biden’s policy in Gaza, as 49% of young Americans consider Isreal’s actions in Palestine to be genocide, according to the Tufts’ Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). Israel and the U.S. have repeatedly rejected this characterization. 

“Young people are deeply attentive to, and taking into account, the ways this conflict generally intersects with racial justice and potential discrimination,” researchers from CIRCLE wrote.

Personal ties

Personal connection to the war in Gaza also makes it more resonant for some Americans, said Ryan Griffiths, a professor of political science and research co-director of International and Intra-State Conflict at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. 

“You’ve got some people who have a stronger connection to Israel. Those initial attacks in October are shocking and horrific. And so people really responded to that,” Griffiths said.

This is true for SU freshman Caleb Kleinfeldt.

“I consider Israel to be my home. I live in the U.S. but to me, it is really my home. It’s very important to have a president who’s supportive of Israel and the Jewish state,” Kleinfeldt said.

The conflict is divisive even among Jews, Kleinfeldt said. He doesn’t agree with the way Biden has handled Israeli relations, arguing that Biden should be more staunch in his support of the Jewish state. 

Other voters, Griffiths said, feel more aligned with Palestine. “There’s also a portion of the population that tends to be a bit more critical of Israeli foreign policies, particularly with respect to Palestine,” he said.

Sophomore Olivia Boyer grew up paying attention to foreign policy because her parents emigrated from the Middle East. But the war in Gaza goes beyond her personal connection. 

“More than a Middle Eastern issue, more than a religious issue, it’s a human rights issue,” Boyer said.

Social media effects

Senior advertising major Christiane Gbabiri will vote in her second presidential election this year. She is paying a lot more attention to foreign policy this year, she said, thanks in large part to the content she sees on social media. 

Nearly half of American social media users reported being politically active on social platforms in 2023, according to the Pew Research Center.

Gbabiri voted for Biden in 2020, but she has not made up her mind about this year’s election. “I don’t know who I’m going to vote for now,” she said. “I am feeling really conflicted about it.”

Other Gen Z voters have decided they will stick with their partisanship even though they disagree with Biden’s policies in Gaza. 

“My vote is still going to be for Biden and the Democratic Party,” Cole Meredith, a sophomore advertising major, said. “I am concerned about foreign engagements and our support of the Israeli government and Israeli forces… but I’m still going to support Biden despite that.

“Biden is the candidate that most closely represents my values that has the best chance of enacting them,” he said. 

Meredith’s thinking is familiar to political science Professor Emily Thorson. “People vote based on their political partisanship,” she said.

Protest votes

To signal their displeasure with President Biden’s support of Israel, some Democrats instead voted in the primaries but did not select a candidate in the presidential race. The #LeaveItBlank campaign trended across social platforms and resulted in nearly 400,000 voters opting out of the presidential race across several states. 

Senior history and sports management major Yasseen Lofti supported a primary protest vote, but predicts Democrats like him will vote for Biden in November. 

“Once they’re in that booth they will vote for Biden, ultimately,” he said. “As much as they may dislike Biden – rightfully so in certain policies, including of course Gaza – most of them will understand that when given the choice between those two a protest vote isn’t really going to accomplish anything.”