Political parties vying for first-time voters

Politicians keep telling us that this is a crucial election, but will that make young voters turn out?

Turnout among 18 to 24-year-olds was, for decades, only marginally lower than that of older voters but it went into a marked decline around 20 years ago.

Political parties have turned to Facebook and Snapchat, donned baseball caps, hugged a hoodie and made videos with Russell Brand but with little obvious effect on the numbers.

In 2015, despite the polls wrongly suggesting the result would be on a knife edge, only 44% of the youngest age group made it to the ballot box.

In this contest, with its pivotal implications for Brexit negotiations and the direction our country will take for decades to come, can we expect it will be any different?

The major parties spoke to Sky News about what they are doing to lure young voters to, first of all, register by today’s deadline – as each individual voter must now be signed up – and, after that, to cast their ballot.

For this report, we spoke to a group of first-time voters at a college in Leeds who came to see the Labour leader when he was in town this month, and have met other parties’ representatives.

They all thought most first-time voters were heavily influenced by their parents’ political views – although some were in agreement with their parents, and others went the opposite way – as politics is not taught at their school.

They mentioned not knowing who to vote for, the focus on leadership rather than issues, and politicians trying to evade questions as reasons for turning off.

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But there is plenty at stake in this contest.

Sky data shows a chasm in terms of attitudes to Brexit among different age groups. When we polled voters’ attitudes on how Brexit would affect the country, 56% of over-65s thought it would be fairly or very good, but just 28% of under 24s did.

When it came to the impact of leaving the EU on them personally, 34% of pensioners thought it would be fairly or very good, compared with only 17% of the youngest group of voters.

Our polling shows young voters are less interested in health and immigration than older voters, and more interested in jobs and tackling poverty and inequality.

If young people voted in similar numbers to pensioners, experts say up to two million more votes would have been cast in 2015, potentially swinging the result in a number of seats.

Young people in the UK have tended to be more attracted to left-wing parties, although there is some evidence that this is changing. The Labour party have high hopes for turning them out, and have championed policies which may appeal, such as abolishing tuition fees.

At the last General Election, the youngest age group, 18-24, plumped by 43% for Labour and only 27% for the Conservatives – a 16-point lead. And the polls in recent weeks suggest that under Jeremy Corbyn, Labour’s lead among the youngest voters is even higher – some 30 points.

Shadow minister Sarah Champion told us making MPs more representative of those they serve is crucial. Her party’s candidates this year are more than 40% female.

"I think the biggest barrier is that Parliament is stuffy," Ms Champion said. "To be blunt it tends to be full of old men, talking in big words in a really exclusive way.

"I do think that Parliament and our democracy is designed to exclude people. We are trying to break that down."

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Lib Dem candidate Jo Swinson was meeting students voting in their first General Election, at Strathclyde University.

But some had been eligible to vote, as 16 and 17-year-olds in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum and did so in large numbers.

Ms Swinson said her visits to schools and colleges had convinced her that appealing to young voters was about issues, more than political parties. And for the Lib Dems, who are calling for a second referendum, Brexit is the biggest issue of all.

The former Coalition minister said: "Often I would go in and say ‘who here is interested in politics?’ and only a very small number of young people would put their hands up.

"Then I would ask ‘who is concerned about climate change, or conditions abroad for people living in poverty?’ and suddenly lots more people were interested.

"And actually it’s about making people understand that the things they care about are impacted by politics."

The Conservatives have a huge lead with older voters, but Theresa May has spoken about redressing the balance between "the prosperous older generation and the struggling younger generation".

Young candidates hope they can make a difference.

Charlie Chirico, a 30-year-old lawyer standing in east London, tells sixth formers when speaking in schools that the franchise was only extended to all women and men over 21 less than 90 years ago.

"I think we’ve forgotten that; that it was a right we fought for not that long ago", she said.

Ms Chirico, who likes football and street dance, said: "I think young people can engage with that: showing you have a life outside politics really helps."

All the representatives we spoke to said that, while social media has been a huge help in reaching younger people, there was no substitute for the personal touch.

Young people voted in larger numbers in last year’s EU referendum. With two-and-a-half weeks to go, the parties’ strategies for keeping them engaged will be put to the test.

:: Register to vote by tonight’s midnight deadline on the Government’s official website

:: Sky is hosting the first live studio audience Q&A of the election with Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn – find out how you can be involved. And don’t forget to watch it on Sky News: The Battle For Number 10 on Bank Holiday Monday, 29 May, at 8.30pm.

(c) Sky News 2017: Political parties vying for first-time voters