Nearly half of Generation Z voters said in a survey released Wednesday they have lied about who they’re voting for in the presidential election.
Forty-eight percent of respondents born between the late 1990s and early 2000s said they have lied about their selections to somebody close to them, according to Axios, which published the results of the Harris Poll.
Roughly four in 10 millennial voters, born between the early 1980s and late 1990s, told the Harris Poll they have lied, Axios noted. Across all generations, 23% of respondents said they’ve told someone close to them they voted for a different candidate than the one they actually cast a ballot for.
The survey also found that 30% of male respondents indicated they’ve lied about their votes compared to 17% of women.
John Gerzema, CEO of the Harris Poll, said the results show people are lying to keep familial, social and workplace relationships intact.
“It’s a product of polarization. The new social etiquette is to be like Switzerland: Why do you want that heat?” he said, according to Axios.
Thirty-three percent of the survey’s participants said they aren’t close to some family members because of political beliefs. That includes 44% of Generation Z voters and 47% of millennials.
Nearly six in 10 respondents told the Harris Poll that their voting selections should be kept private.
“There’s a new privacy emerging here, where it’s far more convenient to either lie or not talk about it,” Axios quoted Gerzema as saying.
The executive reportedly said that some younger Americans are more “conflict-averse” and prefer to “minimize” interactions, using the mindset of “I’d rather do it through the app.” Those people might lie about who they vote for to avoid a confrontation or awkward interaction, Gerzema explained.
The Harris Poll, which is unaffiliated with Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, surveyed 2,129 adults between Oct. 22 and Oct. 24, Axios reported.
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