This is why 4 in 10 adults don't vote in the presidential election

In 2012, only about 58 percent of the eligible voters in the United States cast a ballot, a rate that The New York Times says is "generally on par with other United States presidential elections in the modern era." Still, voter turnout in the U.S. is lower than Canada, Mexico, Australia, and most of Europe, including the U.K.

What, then, is keeping four in 10 Americans from voting for president?

"Most of the differences between people who vote and those who don't vote can be accounted for by motivational reasons — levels of political interest and engagement. And levels of political interest and engagement are strongly correlated with education and income," political science professor Benjamin Highton told The New York Times.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

As people get older — and might own a home or pay more in taxes — they have increased stakes in the political system. Education also increases political knowledge. But other groups, like Hispanics, face language barriers or a weaker connection to the political process: "There's this idea that even if you are legally entitled to vote, you don't see it as something that matters to you and your community," said political science professor Melissa R. Michelson.

The people least likely to vote in 2012 were white, middle-income, and middle-aged. Black voters have the highest turnout rates, especially black women. Midwesterners tend to turn up to vote, while deep-blue states like Hawaii and deep-red states like West Virginia have lower rates of turnout because voters feel like their ballot matters less.

Read more about the factors that drive people to vote — or not — at The New York Times.