Crossroads Podcast: Taylor Swift Remains A Force In American Life
Truth is, the political gender gap between young female voters and young male voters is real — but nothing new.
Political scientist Ryan Burge and others, digging into decades of numbers in the General Social Survey (GSS), have shown that young females are more liberal when it comes to political choices, but that this gap emerged in the 1980s and has been relatively consistent ever since.
This liberal-conservative gender gap was about 20% in the 1990s, and it’s about 10% today.
This brings us to megastar Taylor Swift and her decision to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 White House race, which was the hook for this week’s “Crossroads” podcast. Legions of “Swifties” from America (and around the world) received this news via Instagram (Swift has 280+ million followers), where her much-anticipated post triggered celebratory mainstream media coverage.
Image via Instagram
The singer-songwriter ended her epistle with this political quip — “With love and hope, Taylor Swift — Childless Cat Lady.” The shot at GOP vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance was consistent with her Instagram post’s affirmation of liberal stances on abortion, IVF (in vitro fertilization) and LGBTQ+ issues.
The USA Today report on Swift’s gambit noted:
The pop icon's popularity seems only to be growing. She is nearing the end of her almost two-year long Eras Tour — the highest-grossing tour of all time — added two Grammys this year to her total of 14, was named Time magazine's 2023 person of the year, released the chart-topping "The Tortured Poets Department" album, and her Eras Tour concert film is the highest-grossing concert film of all time.
There had been speculation that Swift would appear at the Democratic National Convention, where stars such as Oprah, The Chicks, Pink, Mindy Kaling and John Legend threw their support behind Harris.
Support from entertainers and journalists has played a crucial role in the urgent campaign to rebrand Harris. This has been a mass media effort heavy on messages of hope and joy, while avoiding the candidate’s on-the-record statements on immigration, gender-affirming care, abortion rights, government control of misinformation and other hot-button issues.
So far, elite journalists (and comedians) have treated Donald Trump, a famous reality-TV star, like a controversial politician — which he is, so that’s appropriate. Meanwhile, they have treated Harris, a controversial politician, like a reality TV star, if not a glamorous movie star.
This brings us back to Swift and the legions of fans who follow her every move.
The joyful New York Times political desk feature about the endorsement included these nods to the singer’s motives:
In her post endorsing Ms. Harris, Ms. Swift also referred to her “fears” about artificial intelligence. She pointed to content generated by the technology that had falsely suggested that she supported Mr. Trump, which the former president promoted on social media. She underscored concerns that Americans would not know where she genuinely stood if she had not spoken out.
“It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” Ms. Swift wrote. “It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth."
Mr. Trump has called Ms. Swift “liberal” but “beautiful,” and he has praised a friend of hers, Brittany Mahomes, the wife of the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, as well. Some fans of Ms. Swift had encouraged her to go public about her support for Ms. Harris to make a point of contrast after it appeared that Ms. Mahomes had liked one of Mr. Trump’s social media posts.
“Fans” of Ms. Swift? Encouraged?
The reality is that mass media pundits and social-media influencers have urged the superstar to endorse Harris, with some arguing that any Swift silence on the matter could be seen as a cynical strategy that would endanger America’s future (see this earlier Rational Sheep post).
Is there a “religion” component in this story?
That depends on whether voters believe there are religious, moral and cultural beliefs — such as centuries of doctrines in Christianity and other traditional forms of religious faith — that clash with the teachings of the evolving sexual revolution.
In another recent Rational Sheep post and podcast — “Modern, progressive young women flee pews!” — I noted what I thought were some significant “gap” issues in Pew Research Center research. If you want to understand trends linked to the Swiftie factor, here are the numbers that may be most relevant:
— Married men are quite a bit more Republican (59%), while never-married men are rather faithful Democrats (61%).
— Married women favor the GOP by a narrow margin (50% to 45%), while never-married women are enthusiastic Democrats, by a wide margin (72%).
— Americans who live with a partner outside of marriage are much more likely to be Democrats, as are those who are divorced. LGBTQ+ Americans are overwhelmingly Democrats.
In other words, marriage is crucial. But is this a divide between “religious” and “secular” Americans?
The adult Swift has openly identified as a Christian — while stressing her liberal beliefs on moral and social issues. She grew up in the youth group at a Church of the Brethren congregation and, a decade ago, noted: “I went to Bible camp every summer. I was raised in the church, I was taught to think for myself, to respect people from all walks of life and values.”
Recently, a Religion News Service feature noted that, for Swift, “well-worn Christian metaphors sit alongside a more bohemian mishmash of witchcraft, divination and paganism. … Swift knows her audience, and she knows they’re dabbling in everything from spells to astrology. Her genius has always been to make common cause with the curiosities, heartbreaks and longings of her listeners. And, no doubt, the inherent feminism of Wicca appeals to Swift and Swifties alike.”
Meanwhile, it isn’t mere gossip to note that Swift’s tumultuous private life (surf this Google search containing nearly 200 million online links) has been at the heart of her music, as well as her public persona.
For millions of young women, she is a superstar, a heroine and maybe even a role model — a living icon of the Romantic philosophy of life. Will that have any impact in voting booths?
I would argue that the other important question for journalists (as well as parents, pastors, teachers and counselors) is the degree to which the gospel according to Taylor Swift is touching the lives of children, tweens, teenagers and young women in general. Once again, culture is more important than politics.
Enjoy the podcast and, please, pass it along to others.