New research suggests a shocking number of young voters in the UK may not cast their vote in the 2024 General Election, raising concerns that politicians aren’t doing enough to captivate the demographic.
A nationally representative survey carried out by Prograd shows that more than a fifth (22 per cent) of eligible Gen Z voters are not planning to cast their vote if Rishi Sunak calls an election this year, and a further 21 per cent are unsure if they will take to the polls, the highest of any generation surveyed.
The most politically engaged generation was Gen X (those aged 44-59), with 71 per cent planning to vote, followed by millennials (aged 28 – 43) at 64 per cent.
When asked why they aren’t going to vote, 14 per cent of Gen Z believe their ballot won’t make a difference, and 14 per cent feel the candidates don’t represent them.
For the young people who are considering taking to the polls, over a third (34 per cent) have not yet decided who to vote for, meaning parties that manage to capture the youth vote could swing the ballot.
Commenting on the findings, Marco Logiudice, Co-Founder at Prograd said: “After such a politically turbulent few years, you’d think that young voters would be rushing to the polls to have their voices heard – but this certainly isn’t the case.
“Politicians need to do more to captivate young people and present policies that resonate with them. Those that do have a real opportunity to swing the ballot.”
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