Young People Want Lower Voting Age

Most young people say the voting age should be lowered to 16, according to findings from MORI for the latest Nestlé Family Monitor 'Young People's Attitudes Towards Politics'. Three in five feel the voting age should be reduced, with 53% wanting it at 16 or below. This finding on what young people themselves think comes as the Electoral Commission launches a three month consultation process on the minimum age of voting.

Most young people say the voting age should be lowered to 16, according to findings from MORI for the latest Nestlй Family Monitor 'Young People's Attitudes Towards Politics'. Three in five feel the voting age should be reduced, with 53% wanting it at 16 or below. This finding on what young people themselves think comes as the Electoral Commission launches a three month consultation process on the minimum age of voting.

However, most also say it is not important to them who wins the next election and nearly half (45%) say they are not interested in "learning about how the British political system works".

Of those eligible to vote for the first time in the election in 2005, only one in five say they are "absolutely certain" to do so: 39% would vote Labour, 27% Conservative and 19% Liberal Democrat.

When it comes to recognising the party leaders, one in five (18%) recognise a photograph of Charles Kennedy and a quarter (25%) Iain Duncan Smith. More than nine in 10 recognise Tony Blair -- but there is a sting in the tail for him. A third (31%) of those who have heard of him believe he needs a makeover, a figure only bettered by Ann Widdecombe.

The single most important issue outside of war/conflict is 'Asylum Seekers.' This is marked amongst boys, particularly those living in the North and those attending independent schools. A third (32%) of those who would vote BNP put asylum as the most important issue as opposed to 13% of Tories, 11% of Labour and six per cent of Liberal Democrat supporters. The European Union/Euro was the least frequently selected issue from a list of 18.

The results were released to an invited audience at a Smith Institute Seminar entitled "Political Engagement of Young People" at 11 Downing Street, by Robert Worcester, Chairman of MORI and Visiting Professor of Government at the LSE. The seminar was introduced by Yvette Cooper MP (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, ODPM). Other speakers included Hilary Parsons (Corporate Communications Manager, Nestlé) and Sam Younger (Chairman, The Electoral Commission).

Technical details

MORI conducted classroom based self-completion sessions with 914 young people between the ages of 11 and 18 in 33 schools and colleges across England and Wales for the Nestlй Family Monitor, between 3 March and 22 May 2003.

'Young People's Attitudes Towards Politics' is the sixteenth issue of the Nestlй Family Monitor, a series of research studies examining different aspects of family life in Britain today. Past issues available at: www.nestlefamilymonitor.co.uk

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