A significant number of Americans have become election liars
Image: Cloud Research
Who did you vote for? To many Americans, including half of Gen Z, that question has turned them into Jim Carrey in Liar Liar when talking to people close to them, according to a new Axios Vibes poll.
The survey, conducted by The Harris Poll, found 23% of all US voters say they’ve lied about their vote, with the vast majority of that figure attributed to younger generations.
- 48% of Gen Z and 38% of millennials say they’ve fibbed about who they voted for on at least one occasion, compared to 17% of Gen X and 6% of Baby Boomers.
- The phenomenon was somewhat evenly split among political parties, with 27% of Democrats, 24% of Republicans, and 20% of Independents saying they've lied about their voting.
- When it comes to gender, men (30%) were nearly twice as likely to say they lied about their vote compared to women (17%).
This pants-on-fire phenomenon has a simple explanation. According to John Gerzema, CEO of The Harris Poll, the results are mainly influenced by two social trends:
- Political polarization has become so toxic that many Americans now self-censor or lie to preserve personal relationships at home, work, or family gatherings.
- Younger generations of Americans raised on smartphones are often conflict-averse in in-person political interactions, typically preferring to discuss such topics online.
Big picture: Political polarization has grown significantly across America in recent years. Since 2016, both Democrats and Republicans have increasingly come to view not just the opposing party in a negative light, but also the people in that party, per Pew data. Overall, one-third of US voters aren't close to some family members due to differing political beliefs, including 44% of Gen Z and 47% of millennials, the Axios Vibes survey found.
America is getting more geographically polarized, too. Since the 2020 election, Democrats who moved have chosen neighborhoods where Biden won by an average of 19 percentage points, while Republicans have chosen neighborhoods where Trump won by 19 points.
đź“Š Flash poll: Have you ever lied to someone close to you about your vote in an election?
See a 360° view of what pundits are saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some analysts argue that this era of polarization is simply part of American nature now, as people now define themselves more by what they are against rather than what they are for.
- Other commentators are hopeful that open primaries being on the ballot in this election could be a potential step in the right direction and spell the beginning of the end for this era of polarization if the people vote in favor of it.
- “Polarization isn’t just a phase. It’s our new default setting.” –Shadi Hamid, Washington Post
- “Open Primaries Could Break America’s Partisan Impasse.” –Bloomberg Editorial Board
- “The Election Is Happening Too Soon.” –David Brooks, New York Times
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue political polarization is bringing the credibility of scientists and the media into question by compelling them to withhold results or facts in favor of avoiding political backlash.
- Other analysts contend that no matter the results, Americans have nothing to worry about, and the United States will survive and continue to thrive as it always has.
- “Gender clinic researcher admits withholding results due to politics. Facts are facts.” –David Mastio, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
- “The Election Will End. The World Won’t.” –Matthew Hennessey, Wall Street Journal
- “What happened to my country?” –David Cook, Deseret News
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