Celebrity Influence: How Celebrities Encourage Real Civic Engagement

Celebrity involvement in politics is nothing new, but recent data has shown that the rich and famous have a more tangible impact on elections than you might think. This revelation comes at a time when celebrities on both sides of the political spectrum are working to support causes — and candidates — ahead of the 2024 election.

The study, published by Harvard University's Ash Center for Democratic Governance, examined how celebrity political involvement leads to greater civic engagement in the U.S. This is particularly evident in efforts to increase voter registration, where the U.S. still lags behind many other developed countries. But there are other ways in which celebrities play a role in the political landscape.

While “some polls show that people claim they are not swayed by celebrity voices on political issues, more rigorous evidence suggests that these voices are incredibly influential,” the Harvard study states. This is especially the case with the aforementioned efforts to increase voter registration, as “nonprofits report higher online voter registration rates or poll worker sign-ups when a celebrity endorses these calls to action.” Based on 15 study participants, it found that “celebrities who use their platforms to encourage people to vote can not only increase turnout but also boost their brands.”

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There have been “numerous examples of measurably impactful celebrity civic action” through voter registration in recent years, the study says. In 2018, Taylor Swift, whose influence on the political zeitgeist is well-documented, shared a “single Instagram story urging her then-112 million followers to register to vote at www.vote.org.” The organization “reported that 65,000 new registrants were added to the site within 24 hours. Within 72 hours, that number was 250,000 new registrants,” all as a result of Swift's Instagram post.

While the power of social media was one of the main points of contention, the study “also examined celebrity campaigns across a variety of media, including television, documentaries, merchandising and public service announcements,” according to CNN. It “examined data from celebrity initiatives in the 2018, 2020 and 2022 election cycles.” These include efforts by Swift, Grande, Kerry Washington, Billie Eilish, Trevor Noah and others.

This positive use of celebrity endorsements in politics could help persuade people who have been turned off by recent discourse. Young voters in particular “have relatively low trust in many leaders and institutions, including the traditional news media — but celebrities are often a rare exception,” Ashley Spillane, a civic engagement and politics expert and author of the study, told ABC News. Voting “should be the trendy and cool thing,” and the “study shows that there is evidence that people who feel that way about voting do vote.”

Kerry Washington, the star of ABC's “Scandal,” is one of the celebrities who have announced their intentions. Democracies “work best when everyone votes,” Washington told CNN. As a “public figure, it's important to me to remind people of their political power and to share any information I have that will help them exercise their power.” Celebrities “have a unique opportunity to encourage voters. The combined reach of our networks can be used to inspire participation and ensure more people take their rightful place as active participants in our democracy.”

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Celebrity Influence: How Celebrities Encourage Real Civic Engagement

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