In my blog today, I wanted to cover something that I feel has changed over the last few years and something that will have a big impact on future political events. I will be asking the question as to why so many young people voted in the 2016 EU referendum? I will also be analysing the reasons why this has happened. Firstly, I would like to start by answering the following question, “what is political engagement”. Political engagement is when any member of the public who has been granted citizenship and takes advantage of the rights that they were given by getting involved in any political events. After the EU referendum statistics were released we found out the turnout among young people aged 18-24 that was almost double the amount that was reported on polling day. The new findings suggest that the turnout of this category was at 64% then rising to 65% among the 25-39 year olds.[1]
Fig.1 shows the 2016 EU referendum turnout by age.[2]
The statistics shows the way in which the voters of the United Kingdom voted in the EU referendum. This graph shows that between the ages of 18-24 had the highest number of voters with a percentage of 72% choosing to remain in the EU the 65+ voters not far behind with 70% choosing to leave the EU. As this graph is quantitative, it does not tell use the reason for young people participating more in the 2016 EU referendum. Furthermore, this graph shows us that the older generation is always consistent in their voting. It is interesting to see the responses to the result from the younger generation as it gives us a better understanding as to why they wanted to take part in the EU referendum in comparison to previous political events.
The newspaper, The Guardian recorded some of the responses of the youth and here’s what some of them had to say. The first response was from a girl by the name of Erin Minogue and she was aged 17 so was unable to vote at the time. The reason for her wanting to vote was that she was studying politics therefore had an interest in the matter. She also knew that the outcome would have a direct impact on her future. She said that she followed the campaigns so she feels she could’ve made a rational and informed decision. This response is very interesting as it creates another topic of discussion which is, should the age at which you’re allowed to vote be lowered? In addition, this response gives us an incite as to why some younger people took part in this political event. Another response the guardian recorded was from someone who was of age to vote. Her name was Lucinda Jones and she was aged 20. The reasoning for her voting was that she also felt the result would affect her future massively, she called the older generation “narrow minded”.
[3] The Electoral Commission (2015) Voter Turnout by Constituency. Available at: http://www.ukpolitical.info/Turnout15.htm (Accessed: 17/02/18).
FIG.2 is a graph showing the 2015 general election
As this graph shows us in the 2015 general election young people did not turnout and the percentage of young people that did vote was only 43%. The graph also shows us that the people aged 65+ tend to always have the highest number of voters. The pattern of electoral participation was broadly unchanged since the 2010 elections. Before the 2016 EU referendum there was a constant trend of young people not voting and they were they were said to be the least likely to vote. Young people tend to be more involved with political protests and marches. On the anniversary of Donald trump’s inauguration, thousands took part in women’s marches across the US and many of the demonstrators were young people. The rallies were seen as the beginning of a new era in female political activism. The benefit of the rallies or any political protest is that it encourages people to get involved with politics and address matters that they feel strongly about. This rally encouraged more women to vote and at the same time would have inspired more young people to vote.
To conclude I feel like that young people have definitely become more involved in politics over recent years whether it be voting or taking part in a political march. Although it was found that the ‘Youthquake’ in Jeremy Corbyns 2017 election did not exist, I feel that young people were more engaged through social media. With the use of social media young people are able to share ideas, thoughts and get involved in political debates online. This in fact improves their knowledge on what is happening in the political world. With research, I found that the young people who tend to vote are the ones that feel they are educated enough on the subject to make a rational decision as they knew it would affect their future. [4]
References
Cresi, E. Brexit Inequality and demographic divide . The Guardian. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/24/meet-the-75-young-people-who-voted-to-remain-in-eu
Helm, T. EU referendum. The Guardian. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/09/young-people-referendum-turnout-brexit-twice-as-high
Kentish, B. Youthquake. Independent.Available: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/youth-vote-election-2017-jeremy-corbyn-no-change-18-25-labour-momentum-upset-theresa-may-a8183461.html
Prosser, C. (29/01/18) Youthquake. United Kingdom:. Available: http://www.britishelectionstudy.com/bes-impact/the-myth-of-the-2017-youthquake-election/#.Wo1mBFSFiu7
Stuart, B. (2016) Brexit. United Kingdom:. Available: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2016/12/21/christmas-table-brexit-inequality-demographic-divide/
The Electoral Commission (2015) Voter Turnout by Constituency. Available at: http://www.ukpolitical.info/Turnout15.htm (Accessed: 17/02/18).
[1] Helm, T. EU referendum. The Guardian. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/09/young-people-referendum-turnout-brexit-twice-as-high
[2] Cresi, E. Brexit Inequality and demographic divide. The Guardian. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/24/meet-the-75-young-people-who-voted-to-remain-in-eu
[4] Kentish, B. Youthquake. Independent.Available: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/youth-vote-election-2017-jeremy-corbyn-no-change-18-25-labour-momentum-upset-theresa-may-a8183461.html
