OTTAWA/TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may be renowned internationally for his youthful persona and social media savvy, but even before the embarrassment of his recent blackface makeup scandal there were concerns about the support he needs from younger voters to win re-election.

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A Nanos poll on Tuesday, commissioned by CTV News and the Globe and Mail, found the proportion of 18-to-29-year-olds who plan on voting Liberal was 27%, down from 38% on Aug. 2. Their Conservative support was 23% compared with 19% in August.

“These were the people that Trudeau didn’t just need on side, but needed on side enough to go cast a ballot,” said Shachi Kurl, executive director of polling firm Angus Reid, referring to concerns about low voter turnout.

In 2015, overall turnout for voters between 18-24 jumped from 39% in 2011 to 57%, while total voter turnout was 68.5%, the highest since 1993.