"If polls had shown that the young traditionally swing to the right, would Labour have espoused this? I don't know. Nigel Farage's claim that the young are turning to him is largely overblown, according to YouGov polling, with only 9% of 18 to 24-year-olds saying they would vote Reform no better than what Ukip achieved in 2015. However there is a gender gap, says More in Common, with boys nearly twice as likely to support parties on the right."
"In power, the Tories went to great lengths to stop young people voting: David Cameron's government barred colleges and universities from registering students automatically. Meanwhile, parents were barred from registering young people at home, so students' vote depended on their personal determination to register, at a time of turmoil in their lives and frequent address changing. It worked, with young people the largest disenfranchised group."
A bill was introduced to grant 16- and 17-year-olds the vote by the next general election. Conservatives and Reform accused the measure of gerrymandering and opponents labelled the criticism hypocritical. Polling shows only 9% of 18–24-year-olds would vote Reform, similar to Ukip's 2015 share, while research finds boys are nearly twice as likely as girls to support right-wing parties. Previous Conservative governments implemented measures that hindered student registration. The age at which voters tend to move right reached 66 at the last election. Even if enfranchised, teenagers' concentrated votes are unlikely to change many seats.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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