vInspired Calls on Political Leaders to Deliver Youth Pledges on Twitter

Voter turnout among 18-24 year-olds is declining, yet young people express a strong desire to play an active role in their communities and beyond. They seek a different kind of engagement from political leaders. In anticipation of the 2015 general election, vInspired urges UK party leaders to share their top five pledges for young voters on Twitter.

Why Aren’t Young People Voting?

When vInspired launched Swing the Vote, a survey of 1000 young people revealed that 78% felt unrepresented, and 58% lacked sufficient information to make informed decisions at the polls.

How Do We Change This?

A recent follow-up study asked young people how political leaders could better serve their needs. The research showed that social media will be crucial in influencing the youth vote. Of the 3000 participants aged 16-24:

• 45% want election promises delivered via social media, Instagram videos, and YouTube.
• 64% believe politics would be more accessible if communicated through Twitter.
• 70% said they would be more likely to vote if all parties presented their promises for under-25s this way.
• 69% indicated they would vote for politicians who effectively use social media to communicate their manifestos.

Social media presents a significant opportunity for politicians to engage with young people. The youth vote is potentially powerful once mobilized.

Under-25s represent 14% of the electorate and are not apathetic about politics. Although they may skip the ballot box, 80% have been politically and socially active in the past year. Online activism, such as social media campaigns (67%) and online petitions (52%), is popular among young people. About 25% say social media is the most effective medium for raising awareness of political issues.

With 56% absent at the last election, there is a massive opportunity for political parties to capture this demographic’s votes. Engaging young voters could be pivotal in determining the next UK Prime Minister, as demonstrated by Barack Obama’s successful use of social media in the US.

Winning the UK’s 6.8 million youth votes could be decisive in the upcoming election. vInspired hopes political leaders will heed this call and provide young people with meaningful reasons to vote.

Want to help spread the word? Tweet about #swingthevote.

For more insights, check out our articles on vInspired calls on political leaders to deliver youth pledges on Twitter, Swing the Vote: Young people DO care about being heard at elections, and Voting 101 - your ultimate guide to voting in the next election.