Young voters support Labour more than any other age group, but they’re also the least likely to cast their ballot. We asked them why this election could be different

'It feels very necessary': young people on why they'll turn out to vote

Young voters inspired by Jeremy Corbyn’s policies that promise to benefit “the many, not the few” could be responsible for Labour’s surprise gains in recent opinion polls, and hold the key to the party’s potential success in the election – but only if they turn out to vote.

Voters aged 18-34 who contacted the Guardian say cuts to public services, the outcome of the EU referendum and Corbyn have got more young people engaged in politics than ever before, including those who have never voted. So, will young people actually turn out to vote this time round?

I don’t think the older generations are aware of the hurt and damage they’ve done Laura, 27

Laura, 27, a finance manager who lives in Loughborough, says this general election is a way for young people to fight back, to push for a fairer society and politicians who work for them.

“Brexit was most definitely a turning point. Younger people got engaged, educated and involved in politics. We have it tough, so much tougher than previous generations ... who voted leave in abundance.



“They literally had everything handed to them on a plate. I don’t think the older generations are aware of the hurt and damage they’ve done, and buying into a fairer set of politics appears to be my generation’s way of dealing with it.

“My Facebook is full of passionate Labour supporters and this isn’t just my own circle of friends. I’d be better off from a tax perspective without Labour, but it’s my own social responsibility to consider the many, not the few.

“Everyone is quietly commenting on how much of a bigger passion there is this time round. It feels different; it feels exciting,” she says.

The received wisdom is that young people don't vote. Could that change? Read more

According to a Guardian/ICM poll, voters aged 18-34 are significantly more likely to back Labour – among 25-34s it’s 43% Labour to 34% Tory. In 2015, 43% of 18-25s voted Labour, compared with 27% for Conservatives.

But while younger voters say they’re voting Labour, they are far less likely to turn out to vote. In 2015, just 43% of 18-24s went to the polls, compared with 78% of people aged 65 or over. And only 44% of 18-24s say they are “10/10” certain to vote in this election, compared with 66% of 35-64s and 80% of over-65s, according to the ICM poll.

Khatija, 30, a first-time voter living in the Coventry South constituency, says she has always felt her vote was wasted and that until Corbyn became leader of the Labour party there was no one to vote for.

“When I’ve finished work I can’t be bothered to find out where I need to go to submit my vote. But I haven’t felt this strongly about voting before. With Brexit and Trump and all that I feel is politically wrong, it feels very necessary,” she says.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jeremy Corbyn poses for a selfie after the launch of Labour’s race and faith manifesto in Watford. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Jordon, 20, a sales assistant from Southampton, says young people are much more engaged with politics than people think, and believes people will turn out to vote. He says his friends and colleagues are either voting Labour or are undecided, with the NHS, the “national living wage” and the renationalisation of the railways as top issues.

The majority of us actually do care about what happens to the future of our country Jordan, 20

“I’ve been in work since I was 16 years old. Earning £10 an hour by 2020 [a Labour election promise] would be great for me. I received a 2% pay rise this year, and the rate of inflation is 2.7%. Labour seem to care more about the majority instead of the few, and within that, the working class.

“I feel that with young people and politics we are actually the underdogs. Yes, you have the party animal young adults that couldn’t give a damn about politics unless it meant shutting down nightclubs and charging more for alcohol. But the majority of us actually do care about what happens to the future of our country,” he says.

Ann, 27, a mother who is voting in the Tory safe seat of Thirsk and Malton in York, says she is switching her support to Labour. After reading through the manifestos, she says her support for Labour has grown from what was a tactical vote to one she feels passionately about. She say that missing a chance to vote is “nothing short of sacrilegious”.

“I come from a Conservative family living in a very Conservative town. I voted for the Conservatives before I really started to think for myself,” she says. “I just simply assumed my dad was right.

“I had to go to the jobcentre to apply for universal credit. At the next table was a man with disabilities who was in tears. I don’t know why he had his payments cut, but [seeing the officer] in tears too is a sign that something is very wrong.

“The more votes the Conservatives lose the more it will hopefully shake them and make them take a look at what they are doing wrong. I believe I won’t be the only person here changing from Conservative to Labour, or at least I hope I’m not,” she says.

I have waited my whole life for somebody to vote for Elena, 31

According to the majority of voters who contacted the Guardian, Corbyn is one of the main reasons for their renewed optimism in politics as he offers what they believe is a real opportunity for change.

Elena, 31, a bid writer from Wales, has never voted before, but she says she is certain to this time.

“I have waited my whole life for somebody to vote for. I feel a growing sense of excitement now Corbyn is standing, finally somebody who shares my principles. Labour has needed to go back to how it began for working-class people, towards a fairer society and now it has,” she says.

“The media bias that is constantly around me is not going to sway me otherwise.”