Celebrities do have an impact on elections, Harvard study finds

(NEW YORK) — World famous as entertainers, celebrities are not usually relied on for their political expertise.

Yet candidates across the political spectrum in 2024 have been keen on highlighting star power at their campaign events.

Musical performances by Megan Thee Stallion, Quavo, and Bon Iver brought crowds to their feet during recent Kamala Harris rallies.

Last month, musician Kid Rock and model Amber Rose were among the celebrities featured at the Republican National Convention.

It turns out, a new study finds, that celebrities do more than merely generate online buzz — they can actually influence elections.

According to the research by Harvard University’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, there is “rigorous evidence that [celebrity] voices are incredibly powerful” in promoting civic engagement and altering polling numbers.

“Right now, young voters have relatively low levels of trust in a lot of leaders and institutions, including traditional news media — but celebrities are often a rare exception,” Ashley Spillane, the study’s author and a civic engagement and political expert, told ABC News.

Published on Friday, the study discusses how America falls behind other highly developed democratic nations in terms of the number of eligible voters who actually cast votes.

Spillane noted that “despite record-breaking voter participation levels in recent elections, the United States still ranks 31st out of 50 developed nations in terms of eligible voter participation.”

She says lack of motivation and mobilization is one of the main reasons behind that ranking, and celebrities could be key in addressing the lack of participation.

Spillane said the culture surrounding civic engagement needs to change.

“Voting should be the trendy, cool thing to do,” she said. “And the study shows there is evidence that when people feel this way about voting, they participate.”

In terms of shifting this culture, celebrities are “uniquely positioned to empower everyday Americans,” the study said. Online voter registration and poll worker volunteer rates were found to increase when a celebrity promoted them.

“What the study finds is that sharing information that allows people to take action (a registration link, a way to find your polling place, when Election Day is!) can have the most impact,” Spillane added.

Back in 2018, Taylor Swift encouraged her fans to register to vote by posting a simple Instagram story, resulting in 250,000 new Vote.org registrants in 72 hours.

In a similar fashion, Kylie Jenner utilized Instagram to urge her followers to vote in 2020, and “the site to which she linked reported a 1,500% increase in traffic compared to the day before — and an 80% increase in total users registering to vote,” the study said.

Actress Kerry Washington communicated outside her fanbase and recruited other celebrities to promote civic engagement. The study referenced $32 million in organic earned media coverage, as well as one billion online engagements as a result of her efforts.

Ariana Grande, David Dobrik, Hailey Bieber, Billie Eilish, Trevor Noah were among other celebrities studied. Offline engagements such as television, movies, and merchandise were included in the research set as well.

The study also emphasized how “authenticity moves the needle on civic engagement,” making it crucial for celebrity efforts to align with their public interests and overall platform in order to be effective.

Although some celebrities remain wary of “potential backlash and ‘canceling,'” the study found that those who encourage voter participation believe it is “good for democracy” and “good for their brands.”

As seen throughout the current election cycle, celebrities have even inspired civic engagement without their explicit knowledge or intention.

For example, Swifties for Kamala represents a group of Taylor Swift fans promoting Harris’ campaign. Their X account currently has over 57,000 followers.

Swift has yet to comment on the group created in her namesake, or on the election itself.

Though the Harvard study did not explicitly focus on such sub-groups, Spillane told ABC News that “fan communities getting involved in civic engagement enables them to be a part of something collaborative, which helps build trust in the democratic process and motivation to participate.”

Just this past month, British hyperpop artist Charli XCX posted, “Kamala IS brat,” on X, amassing over 54.5 million views and catalyzing millions of memes and video edits. This one celebrity post inadvertently contributed to the Harris campaign’s digital success and Gen-Z outreach.

“Charli XCX’s post is a great example of a celebrity’s ability to garner media coverage, attract large crowds, reach their fans, and influence conversation,” Spillane observed.

Gen-Z and millennial groups are of particular importance given that they will comprise the majority of voters by 2028, the study confirmed. In addition to the significant screen time that both groups average each day on social media, such platforms were also found to be their primary source of news.

Given such findings, a close eye is likely to follow celebrity voices throughout the remainder of this historic and tumultuous election cycle.

“The evidence is clear that, using their powerful platforms, these influential figures can encourage and empower more everyday Americans to use their voices and exercise their civic rights,” Spillane said.