Total votes
5-11 votes
11-16+ votes
Ahead of the US election on 5th November, young people were exploring the Republican and Democrat campaigns so far. They discussed events such as the televised Presidential debate in June, Joe Biden stepping aside for Kamala Harris and the assassination attempts on Donald Trump. This led to an informed discussion of how far popularity plays a role in the outcome of elections. Is it human instinct to vote for who we like the most? Or does objectivity reign supreme in politics?
Secondary, College & 18+ students discussed, “Are elections just popularity contests?”, whilst Primary 7-11 pupils considered, “Should we choose our leaders based on their personality?” and Primary 5-7-year olds voted on the question, “Is it easy to choose a leader?”
44,381 young people voted on this topic.
We think that leaders should be chosen not by their personalities but by their attributes.
People voting rarely comment on policies, they comment on the behaviours or personalities of individuals they vote for, so we feel strongly that it is more a popularity contest!
I don't think it's a popularity contest, because everyone in the US knows who Trump and Harris are, but the difference between them is their goals and what they want to achieve in the future, which is what people care about.