Taylor Swift’s influence on American politics has become a hot topic. With a fifth of voters saying that they’re likely to back the candidate that she endorses, she may heavily sway the race to the White House. This is especially true now that new Gen Z voters join the electorate this year. Redfield & Wilton Strategies conducted a poll for Newsweek which revealed that 18 percent of voters say they’re ‘more likely’ or ‘significantly more likely’ to vote for a candidate endorsed by Swift.
This poll also shows that her sway is more visible with voters under the age of 35. There will be 8 million new voters in the US electorate, and a total of 41 million Gen Z voters in this election, many of whom are influenced by celebrities and social media. As Taylor Swift is a prominent celebrity with a significant presence on social media, she may have a strong impact on a young generation that is yet to make up its mind about the approaching presidential election.
However, not everyone is likely to support the candidate that Swift endorses, as 17 percent said they would be less likely to vote for such a candidate. This could be bad news for Democrat Joe Biden, as Swift publicly vowed to kick Trump out of the White House with her vote.
Despite her popularity and influence, 55 percent said that they were neutral and wouldn’t be swayed either way. This is not a surprising finding as many people are aware of the bias that celebrity endorsements can have and may choose to make up their own minds.
The data for this poll came from a sample size of 1,500 people, 45 percent of which said that they liked Taylor Swift, with 54 percent saying they are not fans. Six percent said they had never heard of the accomplished singer.
“She’s influenced popular culture, sports, the economics of entire regions of the U.S.” communications consultant James Haggerty told The Daily Mail. “Swift is in the class by herself. She’s so talented and so popular and so ingrained in pop culture. No one is close to her. Celebrity power in elections has grown because celebrity power itself has grown. And in a world awash in messages, it’s the celebrity voices that really resonate.”
“In a world where a reality show star can become president—and maybe become president twice—all of this makes perfect sense,” he said.
