"The single most important factor in whether young people vote in their first or second eligible election is whether their parents vote," Eric Plutzer, Pennsylvania State University, in U.S. News

"Virtually all major works on turnout have concluded that voting behavior is, in part, a gradually acquired habit." --Eric Plutzer, Becoming a Habitual Voter; Inertia, Resources, and Growth in Young Adulthood, 96(1) American Political Science Review 42 (2002).

"An estimated 24% of young people (ages 18-29) voted in the 2010 midterm elections, according to newly released Census data analyzed by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University. While turnout declined slightly between 2006 and 2010, youth turnout remained similar to past midterm elections and tracks a similar decline in adult turnout." Sarah Shugars, CIRCLE.