HOW FACEBOOK'S TRYING TO TRICK YOUNG PEOPLE INTO VOTING
London has a new mayor, and as the final local election results come in, the number crunches are out in force, letting us know aaaaall the nitty gritty details of who voted, who didn’t… and why not.
Expected among the analysis of our voting habits, according to the University of Royal Holloway London, is a poor turnout from young Britons. According to their study, released last year, this lack of youth political engagement can be explained by the ‘delayed transition to adulthood’ compared with previous generations.
We’re just a bunch of big ol’ babies. As explained by Dr Kaat Smets: 'Young people are in school longer, start their first job later, buy their first house later, get married and have children later. But all these life-cycle events are positively related to whether people vote. Willingly or unwillingly, delaying the transition to adulthood implies that most young adults these days have not experienced life-cycle events that are important for participation in democratic life.’