Influencers Shape Young Voters, Survey Finds
A Morning Consult study and a Pathos Lab survey point to social media and streaming as growing influences on how Americans think about politics.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Media
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A Morning Consult study found one in four Americans say social media influencers influenced their vote. Pathos Lab research found 79% of 13- to 30-year-olds use YouTube daily or more, and that traditional news was a rare source of changed thinking on social issues.
Why it matters
The findings suggest political messaging is shifting from broadcast news toward digital platforms, particularly among younger audiences. That shift raises questions about where voters encounter political information and who shapes it.
Pathos Lab cited 0.8% of examples of changed thinking on social issues as coming from traditional news and journalism, compared with 29% from YouTube and 26% from streaming. The survey did not establish how those examples translate into voting behavior.
The players
Morning Consult
A market research and data company that conducts public opinion studies on political and consumer behavior.
Pathos Lab
A research firm that studies how young people consume digital content and how it shapes their views on social issues.
The details
Pathos Lab asked participants to cite content that changed how they thought about social issues or policies, then tracked where young people spend time digitally. Separately, 51% of U.S. political ad spending this election is going to broadcast television, while only 15% is projected to go toward digital media.
Timeline
Article published November 6, 2026, on influencers and young adult voting.
Political ad spending allocations are tied to this election cycle.
Media Landscape
The Pathos Lab survey's finding that 79% of 13- to 30-year-olds use YouTube daily or more places the 2026 political ad shift within a longer move of attention away from legacy broadcast audiences, whose median viewer age is 70 for MSNBC and 65 for CNN.
Voters who rely on YouTube and streaming for political content are increasingly reached through influencers rather than traditional news. Political advertising dollars are following that audience, so the content a voter sees is increasingly shaped by digital creators.
The takeaway
Checking where political information comes from, including influencer content, can help readers weigh claims more carefully before forming a view.
Further reading
Explore more Media coverage on how digital platforms are reshaping political messaging.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Rockfordnewsfirst.
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Do you think social media influencers should have a role in how people vote?
