NEW YORK, Sept 15: Taylor Swift's recent endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris appears to have had a mixed impact, according to a new YouGov poll released on Saturday. The poll, conducted on September 11 and 12, revealed that only 8% of voters indicated they would be “somewhat” or “much more likely” to vote for Harris due to Swift’s endorsement.

In contrast, 20% of those surveyed reported they would be less likely to vote for Harris following the endorsement. Swift's support came immediately after the Trump-Harris TV debate, when she posted on Instagram, “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.” The post, which garnered 10.4 million likes, encouraged her 284 million followers to register to vote and make their own decisions.

Following Swift's post, the vote.gov website saw a significant surge, receiving 405,999 visitors within 24 hours. Despite this, aides to Harris have expressed interest in having Swift campaign actively, possibly by appearing at a rally in Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state. However, the polling data suggests that such involvement might not be as beneficial as hoped.

The Harris campaign itself was not involved in Swift's endorsement decision and only became aware of her support through her Instagram post immediately after the debate.

Historically, celebrity endorsements have had varying impacts on elections. A 2008 Northwestern University report highlighted Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Barack Obama as adding a substantial boost of approximately one million votes. Conversely, a 2010 North Carolina State University study found that endorsements by George Clooney and Angelina Jolie had minimal influence on voters.

Margaretha Bentley, a professor at Arizona State University who studies the social impact of celebrities like Swift, noted uncertainty about the effectiveness of such endorsements. She mentioned that while some of her students believed Swift’s endorsement could sway their votes, others felt it would prompt them to conduct further research.

The recent poll supports Bentley’s perspective, with 66% of respondents indicating that Swift’s celebrity endorsement would not affect their voting decisions for the upcoming election on November 5.