It has been revealed that young, educated people are most likely to vote labour after the latest YouGov data was released.
Last week saw the Conservative party suffer humiliating losses in the general election. The result now finds Prime Minister May clinging to power after her snap election bid for a majority backfired and her party lost seats in Labour made surprising gains – resulting in a hung Parliament.
It’s been reported that Corbyn’s party only lost the election by just over 2,000 votes – with his progress largely secured by a huge swell of support from young voters.
YouGov interviewed over 50,000 adults to determine how the UK voted. They state that age seems to be ‘the new dividing line in British politics’, going on to reveal that for every 10 years a voter ages, the chance of them voting Tory increases by around nine points.
There was an increase in youth turnout but YouGov revealed that they are still less likely to vote than older people. 57% of 18 and 19 year-olds voted last week, while 84% of 70+ voted.
While age is obviously a huge dividing line in terms of political preferences, education also played an important role. It was revealed that those with a University degree are more likely to vote labour, where those with GCSE or below-level education are more like to vote Conservative.
Again, this statistic goes back to age, with YouGov stating; “the expansion of education means that, on average, the young have more qualifications than the old, although the Conservatives still have a “graduate problem” even after accounting for this.”
Last week (June 9), NME surveyed over 1,000 young people on how they voted in the election, which proved a markedly increased turnout for 18-24 year-olds.
NME‘s exit poll shows that 56% of 18-34s voted in today’s election, with 53% of those aged between 18 and 24 turning out, +12% points on the audience’s turnout of 41% in 2015. 60% of 18–34s said they voted Labour, with two-thirds of those aged 18–24 voting for Jeremy Corbyn’s party.
The poll found that 36% were first time voters, that half of 18–24s went to the polls with a friend or family member and that Brexit was the main deciding factor driving those to vote.
Mike Williams, NME editor-in-chief, says: “A lot of talk during this election has been about whether young people would bother to get out and vote. They did, in huge numbers, and on a scale not seen in the UK in recent years. We at NME are incredibly proud to see this, and it’s further proof that young people in the UK are massively engaged with politics in 2017.”
“While this is really encouraging, there is still a significant amount of apathy within the 18-24 group that needs addressing. Politicians across all parties need to do more to engage the young voters of the future, because ensuring that their voices are heard and that their needs are central to manifestos is vital for a fair and progressive society. Keep believing, we’re heading in the right direction.”