How does age influence voting behaviour?
There is a link between age and voting behaviour. As people age they are more likely to be at the top of their earnings so they are more likely to favour traditional Conservative policies such as lower taxation on higher earners, therefore showing links with Social Class. In the 2019 general election, 67% of voters nationally who were aged over 70-years old voted Conservative, whereas 56% of 18-24 year olds voted Labour.
According to YouGov, age is the biggest dividing line in British politics and has been in the EU referendum and both 2017 and 2019 general elections. They say that 鈥榝or every 10 years older a voter is, their chance of voting Tory increased by around nine points, and the chance of them voting Labour decreases by eight points鈥. The age at which voters tend to switch from Labour to Conservative was 39 in the 2019 election.
How did age affect voting in the two referendums?
Age had a significant impact on the two referendums. In the Scottish Independence Referendum (2014), 62% of 25-29 year olds voted yes. As the groups aged, support for independence declined with only 33% of those aged 70 and above voting yes. However, the 16-19 age category bucked this trend with only 46% voting yes.
In the EU Referendum (2016), older voters were more likely to vote no than younger voters. In the 18-24 age group, 29% of voters chose leave compared to 64% of those in the 65 and over age category. This, alongside education, was one of the key dividing factors in the referendum.
Does age impact voter turnout?
Age can also have an impact on turnout with younger people less likely to vote than older people. However, according to the British Election Study, turnout among young people has been increasing across the last three general elections, whereas turnout among the 55-74 age group dipped in 2019. The authors of the study speculate that the winter election may have played a part in this.