Christianity, Immigration and Nationalism: American Right-Wing Youth’s Explanation for Their Vote in 2024

Many studies have reported a rise in interest on the right within the United States in the past five years (Crosby, 2021; Mudde, 2019). This comes during a period of political and social shifts in the Republican party who have been accused of turning toward anti-elitist right-wing ideas. Major shifts in the policy and social and economic stances of the Republican party have also come alongside young adults becoming more interested in the GOP. In the 2024 election, 56% of young men between 18 and 29 voted for Trump, with young women also being less likely to vote Democrat than they were in 2020 (Vanderlaan, 2024). Data on the United States shows that there has been an increase in the idea that democracy is failing among this demographic. Between 2005 and 2009, about 5% of individuals aged 18-29 stated that the US. was undemocratic. However, by 2017-2022, this number had increased: 9.3% of people in this age group made the same statement (World Values Survey, 2023). Given these shifts, why did young people vote for Trump in the 2024 US election? To answer this question, I conducted six months of participant observation with right-wing groups and 36 interviews with Republican voters aged 18-29. My fieldwork occurred before, during and after the November 2024 presidential election. My participants noted three main reasons why they voted for Trump. First, they feared the destruction of Christian values in a 2024-2028 Democrat presidency. Second, they believed immigration needed to be curbed, referencing a flow of illegal immigration. Third, they argued that American values and nationality have been destroyed, citing a desire to be proud to be an American again. Despite studies that have suggested that voters cast their ballots to uphold conservative economic policies and fear inflation (Rodrik, 2021), my participants voted to uphold more conservative social values.

 

 

Kayla Preston is a PhD candidate in the department of sociology at the University of Toronto. Her areas of interest include student activism, gender, political sociology, and race. Currently, Kayla is conducting research on youth activism in Canada and the United States. Broadly, she is interested in why and how young people (aged between 18-36) decide to get involved in social and political organizing. She has published research in Canadian Review of Sociology, Current Sociology, Men and Masculinities, New Media & Society, Postcolonial Studies and Journal of Critical Race Inquiry.