A quarter of women aged over 45 'unlikely to vote'

Fewer than half of women said they felt "well informed" about island politics

A survey has found 28% of women aged over 45 in Guernsey are "unlikely to vote", compared to 14% of men in the same age group.

In the questionnaire by political movement Future Guernsey 22% of women across all age groups said they would "definitely" or "probably" not register to vote, compared to 11% of men.

Only 44% of women agreed with the statement "I feel well informed about politics in Guernsey", while 65% of men said they did agree.

Lindsey Freeman, chief executive officer of Future Guernsey, said the survey results were "concerning".

Lindsey Freeman of Future Guernsey said she was concerned about the results of the survey

Ms Freeman said the high number of deputies in island-wide voting made it difficult for voters to understand which policies candidates supported.

"A big part of what we've found is a lack of information and of understanding," she said.

"You can't deny there's a very clear trend here of voter apathy among women, especially of a certain age."

She said the lack of policies meant it was difficult to hold States members to account, leading to people being "disenchanted, disengaged and frustrated".

A representation of only 20% of women in the States was another factor that lowered interest, she said.

Personal trainer Tracey Gibbs said politicians needed to be more "truthful" about what they could achieve

Tracey Gibbs, a personal trainer based in St Saviour, said she always voted and encouraged her family to do the same.

"I care about the island and I want us to succeed," she said. "At the moment we've got it all wrong in politics. But not voting is not the answer."

Ms Gibbs said she looked for accountability when voting.

"Whatever they put in their manifesto they need to do it, and not put what they think people want to hear," she said.

But Ruth Andrews, who comes from the UK and works in hospitality in Jersey, said she would not be voting.

"I didn't vote in the UK because I lost my way and didn't know who to vote for and the same thing has happened here," she said.

She said she might vote if, as someone from the UK, she felt "more welcome in the island".