Islanders co-create questionnaire for young voters

Vote.je said only 17% of 16 to 34-year-olds voted in the 2022 elections

A questionnaire co-created by Gen-Z islanders from Jersey has been released by University College London (UCL) to better understand their voting behaviour.

Vote.je - the States of Jersey's official election guide- said participants would be asked for their views in areas such as their voting mindset, the influence of social media and their exposure to politics in education.

Researcher Hazel Stutz said only 17% of 16 to 34-year-olds voted in the 2022 Jersey election compared to the 53% of islanders over the age of 65.

"This project aims to investigate why that might be and recommend ways to improve that figure for future elections," said Ms Stutz.

"Getting the views of young islanders is vital in understanding how they currently perceive voting and what may be preventing them from doing so, in order to suggest improvements."

Head of digital and public engagement, Jenny O'Brien, added: "We're excited to support this research project and look forward to seeing what recommendations are made that can help inform our work and, in turn, empower Jersey's next generation of voters."

Anyone aged between 18 and 24 who is eligible to vote is being encouraged to complete the questionnaire on the Vote.je website by 10 March.