The Myth of the Angry American Voter: The Role of Positive Affect and Political Ideology on Young Adults’ Political, Religious, and Civic Engagement and Voting Intentions in 2024

Journalists and researchers alike have long focused on the role of anger and other negative emotions in motivating people to vote, protest, and act in support of their moral convictions. The present work argues, instead, that positive emotions are key to sustaining and fostering engagement. One thousand young adults between 18-29 completed questionnaires assessing their past and future engagement in political, religious, and civic activities, their voting intentions in 2024, and how engaging in their most important cause/issue made them feel across a variety of emotions. Regardless of political orientation, individuals who felt positive emotions when involved were more likely to have engaged in relevant activities in the past and to plan to engage in related activities in the future, even when controlling for past levels of engagement. Further, only positive emotions resulting from engagement were linked to a significantly higher intention of voting in 2024 across the political spectrum.