A ”Youthquake” has taken the UK political arena by storm!
THE ISSUE OF BREXIT AND THE AGE FACTOR
As we move ever closer to the UK’s impending divorce with the EU, it is clear that increased youth participation becomes more imperative. Youth engagement since the issue of the EU referendum in 2016 has brought to light the power of the youth vote and demonstrates that we are more willing and able than ever to fight for a future that we can benefit from. Where our concerns and interests can be acknowledged and addressed.
The EU referendum clearly demonstrated the age divide between millennials (under 36s) and the older generations, with age being a significant signpost for voting intention. The younger the voter, the more likely to vote remain; as supported by 71% of 18-24 year olds voting to remain in the EU (Kingman 2017). It is important to note however, that whilst age acted as a signpost for voting intention, age was not necessarily the reason for voting intention. It was more due to particular characteristics being present amongst millennials that are simply more associated to the age group (Kingman 2017).
As demonstrated in the graph below, a major concern for us was the potential detrimental economic effects of Brexit, with 34% of the age group citing the economy as the most important issue. Whilst immigration and UK sovereignty were also cited to be important issues, they are incomparable to the economy as a significant issue. The comparison that older generations rated these issues much more highly indicates that characteristics shared by millennials include a more accepting attitude towards integration and the adoption of a pluralist identity – leading to a more likely remain vote (Kingman 2017, Ehsan & Soam 2018).
Where younger voters have often been described as apathetic and disengaged in politics (Keating & Melis, 2017), this could definitely not be said for the period surrounding the EU referendum. Whilst young people do not necessarily concern themselves with party affiliation or the traditional forms of engagement, we do engage in our own way. We are more likely to petition, demonstrate, and use online platforms to debate and put forward our ideas (Keating & Melis, 2017; Sloam 2007). We also tend to be more concerned with singular issues rather than the political arena as a whole (Sloam & Ehsan, 2017). Brexit is a great example of this, as young people were motivated to significantly increase engagement in both traditional ways such as voting, and non-traditional ways as described previously. Turnout amongst 18-24 year olds for the referendum was at 64% according to an in-depth poll conducted by Opinium (Bruter & Harrison, n.d.), for example.
As demonstrated by the below diagram, the 64% referendum turnout amongst 18-24 year olds is much higher than the last five general election turnouts for the same age group up until the 2015 general election. The general election in 2017 then shows a significant surge in participation, with turnout amongst 18-24 year olds soaring to 64% compared to 43% in 2015.
What caused such an astounding result? WE DID.
This confirms that the youth have finally found their voice and have made their message very clear:
We ARE interested, our issues and concerns ARE relevant, and our opinions WILL be considered.
It is very clear what the majority of young people wanted out of the referendum, we wanted to stay in the EU. The Lord Ashcroft poll found that a whopping 73% of those aged 18-24, and 62% of those aged 25-36 voted to remain (Kingman, 2017). However, despite the victory of the Brexit camp in the referendum, young people continue to make their voices heard and be part of the discussion, as shown in the video below.
BRITISH YOUTH PUSH FOR A NEW VOTE AS BREXIT DEADLINE DRAWS NEAR
THE YOUTH ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE
The 2017 UK General Election produced an astonishing result that threatened the Conservative Party’s power following their loss of a majority to increased Labour Party support and youth votes (Sloam & Ehsan, 2017). The increased success of the Labour party can be attributed to their clear intention of appealing for the support of the younger generation (Sloam, 2017; Sloam & Ehsan, 2017) – demonstrating this as untapped potential for further engagement, and therefore tailoring their objectives to suit issues that resonated deeply amongst the younger generation.
As we have seen earlier, the potential economic effects of leaving the EU was the area of greatest concern amongst 18-24 year olds during the referendum. Younger voters therefore placed great emphasis on the economy as a key policy going forward with Brexit (Kingman, 2017), and 88% of 18-24 year olds expressed that they were closely following Brexit negotiations. The Labour Party’s support for a ‘soft Brexit’, that emphasized maintaining a good relationship with the EU market (Sloam & Ehsan, 2017), therefore formed a major aspect of their appeal to younger voters. Their approach to Brexit negotiations, along with pledges to prioritise improvement of opportunities for young people in education, the workplace, and the housing market definitely attracted the younger generation’s support; with 62% of 18-24 year olds voting Labour (Sloam & Ehsan, 2017).
WHAT NEXT?
So we have made our position known, those in power are starting to listen, and we managed to make a difference. There is undeniably still more work to be done – but it looks like the momentum will surely continue. What do you think?
Bibliography:
Bruter, M. and Harrison, S. (n.d.) Did young people bother to vote in the EU referendum? – Opinium. [online] Available at: https://www.opinium.co.uk/did-young-people-bother-to-vote-in-the-eu-referendum/ [Accessed 7 Feb. 2019].
Dempsey, N. (2019). Turnout at elections. [online] Researchbriefings.parliament.uk. Available at: https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-8060%23fullreport [Accessed 7 Feb. 2019]
Ehsan, R. and Sloam, J. (2018). Resources, Values, Identity: Young Cosmopolitans and the Referendum on British Membership of the European Union. Parliamentary Affairs. [online] Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsy035 [Accessed 7 Feb. 2019].
Keating, A. and Melis, G. (2017). Social Media and Youth Political Engagement: Preaching to the converted or prividing a new voice for youth?. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, [online] 19(4), pp.877-894. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1369148117718461 [Accessed 7 Feb. 2019].
Kingman, D. (2017). Generation Remain: Understanding the Millenial Vote. [online] http://www.if.org.uk/. Available at: http://www.if.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Generation-Remain_final_October_2017.compressed.pdf [Accessed 7 Feb. 2019].
Sloam, J. (2007). Rebooting Democracy: Youth Participation in Politics in the UK. Parliamentary Affairs, [online] 60(4), pp.548-567. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsm035 [Accessed 7 Feb. 2019].
Sloam, J. and Ehsan, M. (2017). Youth Quake: Young Peope and the 2017 General Election. [online] http://www.if.org.uk. Available at: http://www.if.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Youth-Quake_Final.pdf [Accessed 7 Feb. 2019].