BLOG 1 Young People and Political Engagement

Young People’s Attitudes to Voting:

Official statistics have consistently shown that young people are the least likely to be registered to vote, vote in general and local elections, run for elected office and be voted in.  According to the latest available electoral statistics, around 60% of young people are registered to vote however, less than half of young voters actually exercised their right to vote in the latest general election, meaning less than half of young people are voting.

This comes as a result of a huge range of problems young people have when it comes to engaging in any kind of political participation. One of the factors affecting their likeliness to engage in politics is feeling a lack of representation among political figures who they may find to be unable to relate to matters that they care about and are integral to their lives. Furthermore, many young people hold negative opinions about those in power and view them to be untrustworthy. This leads to mistrust of government officials and directly contributes to low political participation. This comes in the form of choosing not to vote in local and general elections but also in the form of choosing not to engage in any kind of political discourse or activism such as protesting or campaigning even for issues, they may feel strongly about if they don’t feel like these matters will be taken seriously or do not trust those in power to actually do something about it.

An increasingly popular view amongst the younger electorate is that voting in a system that only offers two candidates with a realistic chance of winning, neither of whom is either able or willing to enact any serious change and is committed to maintaining the status quo, is pointless and therefore become disillusioned with the current state of affairs and it becomes difficult for them to have any hope.

 

What effect does this have on democracy?

Such a large demographic not participating in elections or engaging in political discourse has some serious problems for democracy because it means a large portion of the electorate has no say in choosing members of the Parliament and the Prime Minister. Albeit this is their own choice since they are legally allowed to vote, and anybody is allowed to engage in any legal form of protest for a matter they feel strongly about. In any thriving democracy, ideally, all demographics would be represented in Parliament chosen by a variety of people exercising their democratic right to vote. Currently, the group of people who are most likely to vote regularly in local and general elections is over 65+ who generally tend to vote more conservatively whilst younger people tend to be more liberal.

A potential problem of this is that many politicians cater a lot of their policies towards older people who are also less likely to support socially progressive issues, many of which appeal to the younger generation such as climate change, education, job creation, LGBTQ+ rights etc. This further distances young people from engaging in politics as they just do not feel like their concerns and problems are being adequately represented in politics. Furthermore, many people tend to favour older politicians when it comes to voting. The average age of politicians in Parliament was around 50 to 59 years of age and even though the number of young MP’s has increased, the majority of elected MP’s are older. This is part of the reason why young people, particularly those who just became of voting age relate to older MP’s and the lack of younger voices and perspectives in Parliament contributes to alienating a huge section of society and results in one demographic dominating politics.

 

What are young people’s attitudes towards other forms of political participation?

Even though young people’s voter turnout is low does not mean that they haven’t always found a way to still occasionally get involved in politics and campaign for issues that are important to them. With the rise of social media and the increasing popularity of apps such as TikTok, it has become much easier for people to learn about political issues they feel strongly about, to organise and protest and most importantly, educate others to encourage them to become more politically involved as well especially since many young people are very progressive. Increasing awareness on certain topics and actively organising campaigns and protests on important topics is a crucial element of a well-functioning democracy as it gives people an opportunity to express their views and raise awareness on issues for the public and the government, amplifying voices calling for change.

Young people are also much more likely to be involved in small grassroots organisations and social movements by learning about them through friends, university or other educational organisations and/or social media. This has allowed it to become much easier for young people to participate in political discourse and for information to become much more accessible to those who might not know how to get involved in politics and where to get reliable information. This is especially useful for new voters who may still not know where they stand on certain issues and need some guidance to help them form an educated opinion.

Furthermore, it also helps young people develop a sense of community with like-minded individuals and potentially helps them overcome the feeling of being alienated by mainstream politics and MPs who are more inclined to overlook certain issues that aren’t deemed popular or aren’t well-accepted in their party if it challenges the status quo or is considered to be too radical.

 

Bibliography:

Johnston, N & Uberoi, E (2022) Political disengagement in the UK: who is disengaged? Available at: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7501/ (Accessed 07/12/24)

McDonnell, A (2023) How Britain voted in the 2024 general election. Available at: https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/49978-how-britain-voted-in-the-2024-general-election (Accessed 07/12/24)

Nawaz, A (2023) Are Young People Disengaged in Politics? Available at: https://uobschool.org.uk/are-young-people-disengaged-in-politics/ (Accessed 07/12/24)

Statista (2024) Number of Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom from 1979 to 2019, by age group. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/871211/age-of-mps-in-the-uk-parliament/ (Accessed 05/12/24)

The Electoral Commission (2024) Explore the data: Who is and isn’t registered to vote? Available at: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/who-is-registered (Accessed 04/12/24)

The Electoral Commission (2023) 2023 report: Electoral registers in the UK. Available at: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/research-reports-and-data/electoral-registration-research/accuracy-and-completeness-electoral-registers/2023-report-electoral-registers-uk (Accessed: 07/12/24)

Written evidence submitted by Bite the Ballot (VUK 65) (2014) Available at: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/49965/pdf/ (Accessed 07/12/24)

UK Youth (2024) Only one in 10 young people believe politicians prioritise their needs, as children’s election launched. Available at: https://www.ukyouth.org/2024/03/only-one-in-10-young-people-believe-politicians-prioritise-their-needs-as-childrens-election-launched/ (Accessed 07/12/24)