Beyond the binary: examining dynamic youth voter behaviour in South Africa

Abstract

The 2021 South African local government elections continued a trend of dissipating turnout among young voters. The youth, aged 18-34, constitute nearly a third of SA's adult population, and their voting decisions could have a decisive influence on electoral politics. Youth voter behaviour - including that of the 'born-free' generation - has been an area of critical interest. However, this interest has mostly yielded an image of young people as disillusioned, consistent abstainers. We argue that youth electoral behaviour should be approached not as a binary of voter/abstainer, but be placed along a voting-behavioural continuum. Our analysis of UJ Election Survey and the South African Social Attitudes Survey data, supports concepts that function as markers along this continuum, including 'loyal voters', 'casual voters', 'party-loyal abstainers' and 'consistent abstainers', each with different underlying motivations. Ultimately, this dispels static notions, providing a more nuanced and complex picture of youth voter behaviour.