Drop-off voters voted in 2016 but were less engaged than consistent voters % who staid they followed 2016 presidentialelection Very closely Somewhat Justa little Not atall Among those who voted in % who staid lit makes difference to them personally whether the Democrats or Republicans control the
To understand these differences, this study combines people’s voting histories (from a national voter file, recently updated to include vote history from the 2016 election) with their attitudes about politics and civic engagement, based on a nationally representative survey conducted in the spring of last year.
In the survey, conducted in March and April during the presidential primaries, just 27% of drop-off voters said they were following the 2016 election very closely, compared with 49% of consistent voters. And drop-off voters were less likely than consistent voters to say that it made a lot of difference to them which party controlled the government; just 39% of drop-off voters said it mattered a lot whether Democrats or Republicans controlled the government, compared with 52% of consistent voters.
Drop-off voters voted in 2016 but were  | less engaged than consistent voters  | % who staid they followed 2016 presidentialelection  | Very closely Somewhat Justa little Not atall  | Among those  | who voted in  | '12 '14 '16  | 49  | 40  | 8  | 27  | 46  | 19  | 8  | 28  | 35  | 28  | % who staid lit makes difference to them personally  | whether the Democrats or Republicans control the  | government  | Among those  | a lot  | Some a little None  | who voted in  | '12 14 '16  | 10 11  | 52  | 27  | 39  | 31 14 16  | 17  | 24  | 21  | 35  | Note: Based on registered votersage 22and older who matchedto  | the voter file Don "tknow/No answer responses notshown.  | Source: Survey conducted March 25-April 19 2016  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 