A new poll suggests there may be a surge in young people casting their votes in next week’s general election.
The Yougov poll, conducted for the British Youth Council, indicates that voter turnout among people aged 18-24 could far surpass the 44% among the same age group who voted in 2010. 60% of respondents said they were absolutely certain to vote, whilst 7% said they would not vote.
The poll also signals that the Scottish youth may be the most politically engaged, with 81% saying they would definitey vote (mostly for SNP), compared with 51% in the South and 63% in London.
71% of 18 year olds said they would vote, compared with 57% of 24 year olds, suggesting first time voters could play a crucial role in this election.
Although Labour remain the favourite among young voters, their lead has dropped by two points, to 34%, since the last youth vote poll in February, whilst the Conservatives have gained four points, reaching 23%. The Greens continue to be far more popular with young people than among the general public as a whole, with 20% of 18-24 year olds saying they would vote Green compared with just 5% in UK Polling Report’s current polling average
All parties have been busy trying to woo young voters in the run-up to the election. David Cameron put out a string of tweets this morning, describing the Conservatives as “the party of the first chance, the first job, first pay cheque, the first home – the party of every young person who wants to get on.”
We're the party of the first chance, the first job, first pay cheque, the first home – the party of every young person who wants to get on.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) April 30, 2015
That's why key policies to help young people – on jobs, tax, education, savings and housing – will stay with a Conservative Government.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) April 30, 2015
And by raising the personal allowance, we'll lift another half a million under-30s out of income tax, so you can keep more of what you earn.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) April 30, 2015
In an effort to reach out to the disengaged, Ed Miliband was interviewed by Russell Brand. In the interview, released yesterday, the Labour leader said: “”You don’t want politicians saying vote for me and on day one the world is transformed. It ain’t going to be like that, right? Change is hard, right?”
British Futures/Yougov poll results:
34% – Labour
23% – Conservatives
20% – Greens
10% – Ukip
8% – Liberal Democrat
5% – SNP/Plaid Cymru
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