Billions of dollars could be being wasted on election campaigning as new research reveals that many people make snap decisions on who to vote for, with two in five (40%) American voters deciding in less than an hour.

Surveying 2,000 Americans of voting age, the research from watch retailer, Tic Watches, reveals that a further 10% admit to taking two to five hours to decide who to cast their ballot for. This means that altogether, half (50%) of American voters spend less than five hours contemplating who they would like to lead the country.

Contrastingly, one in twelve (8%) prefer more time to stew, taking over 6 months, while one in twenty (5%) need more than a year to decide who to vote for.

When asked how they decide who gets their vote, two in five (41%) insist that they make their choice based on the policies a candidate stands for, rather than the personality themselves, while a third (34%) of voters say they always support the same party no matter what.

A fifth (22%) of the nation tend to be swing voters, changing their minds often, while one in six (17%) admit that they follow the crowd and just vote for who their friends vote for. Additionally, 15% say they just choose who their parents vote for.

The data revealed a gender split, showing that women tend to be more decisive than men when it comes to politics. Women are more likely to make a quick decision on who gets their vote, with 44% of ladies taking less than an hour compared to only 35% of men. Additionally, more men admit to frequently changing their minds than women (25% vs 19%) and men are almost twice as likely to admit to just voting for who their parents do (20% vs 11%). Men are also more likely to copy their friends’ vote intentions (20% vs 15%)

When it comes to age, baby boomers (aged 55+) are the most likely to come to a quick decision, with three in five (59%) taking less than an hour. Gen Z (aged 18-24) are also very decisive with over half (51%) needing less than an hour, while millennials (aged 25-44) take a bit longer to mull over the choice, with only a fifth (22%) coming to such a speedy decision.

Additionally, Boomers are the most likely generation to say they vote for the policies rather than the person (50%), while only 15% of Gen Z say the same, showing that personality is very important to younger voters.

Commenting on the research, Daniel Richmond, Managing Director of Tic Watches, said, “No matter your political views, choosing who you’d like to lead the country is a big decision with lots of different factors, so we were quite surprised to see just how many people seem to come to a snap decision. Hopefully this research will encourage people to take more time to research before the upcoming election on November 3rd.”

For more information on the research, please visit: https://www.ticwatches.com/blog/two-in-five-americans-decide-who-to-vote-for-in-under-one-hour/