The Brexit vote of 2016 exposed significant generational divides in British society and was more than just a choice over the UK’s membership in the EU. A lot of young individuals found Brexit to be contradictory. Although it was a choice regarding their future, elder generations played a major role in making it. This blog offers a unique viewpoint on young people’s political engagement in the UK by exploring the complexity of how Brexit both alienated and inspired young voters.
A Vote for the Future, Without the Future
Brexit was, in many senses, a vote on the future: to embrace a more isolated national identity or to pull back into a more globalised, interconnected world. Brexit was seen by young people, who voted decisively to stay in the EU, as a threat to the freedoms and opportunities they had become accustomed to (Goodwin and Heath, 2016). There was a sense of belonging to a wider community, the opportunity to travel, study, and work throughout Europe, and the economic stability that came with being a member of the EU at stake.
Nonetheless, older voters dominated the referendum, speaking out mostly on matters such as national sovereignty and immigration control, which had less of an impact on younger voters. YouGov (2016) data shows that under 25s were more than twice as likely to vote Remain (71%), although among over 65s was the complete opposite with 64% voting to leave. Due to this mismatch, a large number of youth felt that the referendum was more about the past than the future and were nostalgic for a Britain they had never known.
The Rise of Youth Activism Post-Brexit
Strangely, despite the fact that Brexit may have turned off younger people during the referendum, the result has inspired a new generation of voters. Young people’s outrage about the outcome and their sense of exclusion from the political process led to a surge in political activism. In the Brexit referendum, just 64% of those between the ages of 18 and 24 cast ballots, according to the British Election Study (2017), whereas turnout was significantly higher among older groups (Helm, 2016).
Young voters’ newly discovered political enthusiasm implies that, despite their initial alienation with Brexit, it also made them realise the strength of their voice as a group. For example, youth turnout increased dramatically in the 2017 UK General Election, with around 64% of voters between the ages of 18 and 24 casting ballots (British Election Study, 2017). This change suggests that although Brexit has caused division, it has also acted as a trigger for a rise in youth political participation.
Figure 1: Graph showing Brexit results by age, graph provided by BBC.
The Dark Side of Youth Engagement
However, there is a strong feeling of disenchantment that goes along with this rise in activism. Many young people believe that their voices are still not being heard in spite of their efforts. According to Roch Dunin Wasowicz, the percentage of 18-24 year olds voting in general elections has fallen from over 60% to an average of just 40% in the last four general elections.
There’s more to this dissatisfaction than Brexit. It is a reflection of a larger discontent among young people with a political system that they believe ignores their issues and demands. According to the Hansard Society’s (2018) Audit of Political Engagement, young people’s disengagement during Brexit was partly caused by their low level of faith in politicians and the political process. The Brexit process has brought to light what many young people believe to be a democracy that is heavily weighted in favour of more established, older interests, so denying them a voice in the decisions that will determine their future.
A young individual on France24 describes how their generation feels “robbed” of the vote by the elder age, capturing this resentment. The speaker emphasises the generational tension that Brexit has increased while expressing a profound sense of loss and disillusionment.
Digital Media and Youth Political Engagement
Brexit brought to light the nuanced influence of digital media on the political engagement of young people. Social media platforms played a vital role in enabling youth to mobilise, exchange information, and organise in relation to the referendum and its aftermath. Online platforms may effectively engage young voters, as seen by the rise of youth-focused political initiatives and digital campaigns including clips of public street interviews surrounding regret voting to leave Brexit.
However, there was a lot of false information and echo chambers on the internet during Brexit, which might have added to the disorientation and isolation that young voters experienced. A chaotic information environment caused by the quick spread of fake news and the manipulation of internet debate by both domestic and international players left many young people sceptical of the political process and unsure of the truth.
Figure 2: A tweet showing a young persons frustration about Brexit, provided by BBC.
Lessons for Future Political Engagement
For young people in the UK, Brexit has complicated consequences. It has sparked both profound disenchantment and political enlightenment at the same time. The challenge for the UK in navigating its post-Brexit future will be to make sure that youth continue to participate in politics and that their voices are heard.
Increasing the chances for youth to actively engage in political decision-making through youth councils, greater youth representation in political parties, or innovative digital democracy models is one possible way forward. Furthermore, political education needs to be given top priority in order to provide young people the critical thinking abilities they need to understand the intricacies of contemporary politics.
In conclusion, Brexit presented a contradictory opportunity for young people in the UK, as many felt cut off from the political process despite the vote being about their future. However, a new generation of politically active young people has emerged in the wake of the referendum, and they are determined to have their opinions heard. Now, the task is to focus this energy and direct it towards significant political change.
References:
Hansard Society, 2018. Audit of political engagement 15: the 2018 report. Hansard Society. Available at: https://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/publications/reports/audit-of-political-engagement-15-2018 [Accessed 9 August 2024].
Helm, T., 2016. Young people betrayed by Brexit, say generation who voted to remain. The Guardian, 9 July. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/09/young-people-referendum-turnout-brexit-twice-as-high [Accessed 9 August 2024].
LSE Brexit, 2016. The generation gap: how young voters view the UK’s referendum. LSE Brexit, 18 April. Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2016/04/18/the-generation-gap-how-young-voters-view-the-uks-referendum/ [Accessed 9 August 2024].
University of Essex, 2019. Why Britain really voted to leave the European Union. University of Essex, 18 April. Available at: https://www.essex.ac.uk/research/showcase/why-britain-really-voted-to-leave-the-european-union [Accessed 9 August 2024].
YouGov, 2016. How Britain voted. YouGov, 27 June. Available at: https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/15796-how-britain-voted [Accessed 9 August 2024].