Disenfranchised younger people to reject ballot box

Huge numbers of younger people feel disenfranchised by the political parties and are not going to vote, exclusive polling for The Independent shows.

- DAVID MADDOX ALICJA HAGOPIAN

According to research carried out by Techne UK, around four in 10 people – 41 per cent – aged 18 to 34 have either not registered to vote (24 per cent) or are registered but have decided not to go to the ballot box (17 per cent) next month.

Leading pollster Lord Hayward described the figure as “very high” for this stage of an election.

He told The Independent: “That is what we would expect for a normal turnout in terms of people not voting. But you have to remember that among the 59 per cent who say they will vote a sizeable number of them will also not vote.”

The shocking new figures – the highest for any age group measured – reveal a democratic deficit with Generation Z and millennials in British politics that has left the parties not addressing the issues concerning younger voters.

In particular the desire to reverse Brexit – while supported by all age groups by 43 per cent to 40 per cent (52 per cent to 48 per cent excluding don’t knows) – is most strongly backed by 18- to 34-year-olds.

Among this group, support for rejoin is 46 per cent to 30 per cent (61 per cent to 39 per cent excluding don’t knows) but Brexit has been a taboo subject in the election.

Earlier this week, figures from the Electoral Commission showed registration rates among under-25s were half that of the 2019 election period, while wider apathy threatens the overall turnout.

Lord Hayward said: “The problem is that 18- to 34-year-olds do not identify with any of the political parties or are particularly taken by the agenda. Another poll the other day by Savanta showed how young voters are abandoning the Labour Party.”

Dan Lawes, head of partnerships at voter registration group My Life My Say, which ran the “give an X campaign” to boost voter registration, said the findings were “stark, yet not surprising”.