Votes at 16: What the Polling Shows

52% of UK adults support lowering the voting age to 16. Scotland and Wales already do it. Labour backs the change. Reform and the Conservatives oppose it. Here is where the debate stands.

How Young People Vote: 18–24 Voting Intention (2026)

18-24 year-old VI is the nearest proxy for how 16-17 year-olds might vote. It shows a markedly different pattern from the national average.

Sources: YouGov polling 2025-2026, age crosstabs. UK national average shown for comparison.

What Impact Would Votes at 16 Have?

Estimates vary, but around 1.5 million 16 and 17 year-olds would become eligible to vote at Westminster elections if the age were lowered. Turnout among first-time young voters would likely be lower than average, as it is in Scotland.

Research from Scotland — the best data we have — shows some interesting findings:

• 16-17 year-olds voted at similar rates to 18-24 year-olds in the 2014 independence referendum (75%), actually higher than expected
• Their political knowledge and engagement was broadly comparable to 18-24 year-olds
• Their voting patterns were modestly more pro-independence than older voters, but the effect was small
• Research found no evidence that 16-17 year-olds were more susceptible to parental influence than 18-year-olds

For Westminster elections, the partisan impact would be relatively small. Adding ~1.5m voters who lean Green and Lib Dem more than average would affect marginal seats but would not fundamentally alter election outcomes. The more significant argument is democratic: if you can join the army, pay tax and start a family at 16, the case for voting exclusion weakens considerably.

Evidence from Scotland and Wales

The Broader Democratic Context

The votes at 16 debate sits within a broader conversation about democratic participation and legitimacy. UK voter turnout has declined over decades. While 2024 saw 60% turnout overall, engagement among 18-24 year-olds consistently trails older voters by 15-20 percentage points.

Proponents argue that establishing voting habits at 16 — while young people are still in education, linked to civic studies and surrounded by engaged peers — produces more durable voters. Research from Austria, where voting at 16 was introduced nationally in 2007, found that 16-year-old first-time voters showed similar or higher turnout than 18-year-old first-time voters in subsequent elections.

Critics counter that lower engagement at 18-24 reflects life circumstances (moving, working, studying) rather than lack of political consciousness — and that lowering the voting age would not address deeper structural causes of disengagement.

If 16-17 year-olds in England were enfranchised and voted at comparable rates to Scottish 16-year-olds (around 44-50%), this would add approximately 650,000-750,000 votes to Westminster elections — less than 2% of the electorate, but potentially decisive in very tight marginal seats.

What Young People Say They Care About

Understanding what issues 16-24 year-olds prioritise is central to the political impact of votes at 16. YouGov tracker data consistently shows young people (18-24) ranking issues differently from older cohorts.

Climate policy represents the starkest generational gap. Enfranchising 16-17 year-olds would add an estimated 1.5 million voters who consistently identify climate as a top-three priority, in a country where only one major party (the Greens) makes it a central programme issue.

Housing affordability is another area where young voters' priorities diverge from older voters. Many 16-17 year-olds will face home-buying in 10-15 years under current projections — an issue they rank very highly, despite having no current vote on the politicians who set planning and housing policy.

Frequently Asked Questions