Why do young people not want to vote?
Guardian Article
The first conclusion from these results is that it is no surprise that the current political system is unappealing to so many young people. Take immigration, a subject that obsesses politicians and the mainstream media. Many of those I spoke to conceded it was a big issue – or, at least, so they had been repeatedly told. No one nominated it as the issue that most concerned them personally. “The media are portraying immigration to be a monumental issue,” said 22-year-old Jenny Sturrock from east London, “but I think that is just because of parties like Ukip who see it as an easy target.”
At the same time, subjects that disproportionately affect the young get bumped down the political agenda. The main parties are finally waking up to the housing crisis – perhaps because middle-aged homeowners have stopped cheering how much their big asset has appreciated and started wondering why their children are still living at home. But the solutions offered are limited, because, like the Tories’ Help to Buy initiative, they are often aimed at stoking demand without tackling the fundamental problem of lack of supply. This problem is most acute in the south-east of England, and the average age of a first-time buyer who does not have parental help is nearly 40. As 19-year-old Joseph Dwan from Sutton in south London puts it: “I feel like London is the epicentre of what is currently wrong with the UK. As a young person, my options for employment are mostly entry-level jobs. I simply cannot work in central London, however, where many of these jobs exist. If it costs me upwards of £15 to travel to and from work a day, that’s close to half a day’s work post-tax.”
“There needs to be a cap put in place to stop greedy landlords rinsing us.” Lauren Sharkey, 20, lives with her parents in Kent because she cannot afford to rent a flat of her own. She says: “Ultimately, I want to live in London, but looking at the price of renting there is depressing. The housing crisis seems to be getting worse, not better.”
What are their issues with the democratic process?
Ageist Policies
The highest age of voter is 65+ this means that politicians have to appeal to them more than the younger population (18-24) who vote the least. When policies are made and cuts are announced it's safer for a political party to tread on the younger generation; by cutting education, minimum wage, increasing uni fees and house prices, who aren't likely to vote anyway, rather than the older generation by cutting money to pensions, nursing homes, NHS elderly dedicated departments.
Russel Brand
The anti-voting anarchist Russell Brand may be responsible to a younger generation who don't feel the need to vote. He appeals in a way politicians don't and stands out as a voice very different from the samey political talk. He also understands how to interact with a younger audience and what mediums to use to engage them, far from the political TV debates Brand uses youtube, twitter and social networks to spread his ideals, something 18-22 year olds can engage with more.
However a recent interview with Milliband may be something that can engage the disinterested generation who were determined not to vote.
“There was some cynicism underlying the whole thing – they saw it as a very blatant attempt to reach the youth vote and felt that Miliband was a little bit clumsy in his performance with the weird cockney accents.
“But they said that ultimately this didn’t really matter – they were pleased that one of the main parties was trying a bit harder to engage with younger people and felt that, on the whole, Miliband came across well, managing to get across some good ideas and policies.
“They said that it felt like an important and positive election moment when there haven’t been many and brought it up spontaneously when I asked about ‘key election moments that have changed your mind or confirmed your view’.”
Among those who took part in the Dewsbury focus group, Uwais, 25, said: “I thought it was good – he [Brand] was asking the right questions, the questions I would want to ask. He surprised me, Miliband. He came across well, he handled it well, he had some good ideas.”
Yedidia, 18, said: “I saw it on Facebook and read comments about it. I think it was targeted more at our generation. Everyone on Facebook was saying Miliband did well.”
Husna, 23, said: “I really like Russell Brand. David Cameron said something about Russell Brand being a joke and so Miliband was a joke, but I think he said that because he was intimidated. Russell Brand is very, very confident and for Ed Miliband to go and be interviewed by him knowing what views he has I think it was quite challenging.
“Ed Miliband has done well. You can’t ignore people like Brand who say ‘don’t vote’ because I’m at uni and I’ve never once had a conversation with other students about voting, and the youth vote matters. Cameron’s being a bit naïve to think that Brand doesn’t matter because he does.”
Why do they distrust Politicians?
BBC Article
Almost two thirds of young people have little or no trust in politicians, new research suggests. Three quarters of those surveyed also said political parties didn't keep promises once they were elected.
"After the expenses scandal, why weren't there harsher consequences for the people involved?
Researchers surveyed more than 1,000 18-year-olds and found most (63%) were interested in politics.
However, the same number also said they were turned off specifically by the behaviour of politicians and political parties.
Almost two thirds of those surveyed (64%) said political parties weren't interested in things that mattered to young people.
One of the researchers, Professor Matt Henn, said the evidence pointed to young people feeling "disheartened and frustrated" by politicians.The study, from Nottingham Trent University, is aimed at understanding why fewer than half of 18 to 24-year-olds voted in the 2010 general election.
His colleague Nick Foard added that politicians must now do more to show young people that they have "a sincere and transparent concern to listen to their voices".
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