First-time voters say politicians 'evade questions'
Charlie, James and Lucie are preparing to vote for the first time
- Published
Politicians are "too robotic, evade difficult questions and pretend to be perfect" to win votes.
These are just some of the views of young people on the way the election campaign is being conducted by all the major parties.
Barely half of 18 to 24 year olds voted in the 2019 general election, according to the independent British Election Study.
The BBC spoke to three 19 year olds from Stockton-on-Tees who are preparing to vote in their first election.
"They don’t answer questions directly, they’re always calculating the best response," Charlie said.
"I’d rather politicians were openly flawed and made mistakes, rather than trying to be perfect."
Charlie said politicians were "trying to be prefect" to win votes
Lucie watched the recent TV debates with the leaders of the main parties, but said she learned "very little."
"These are the people supposed to be running the country, but they were just shouting over each other.
"They can’t even treat each other with respect," she said.
Lucie watched the recent debates, but said she learned "very little"
The three university students said they were all concerned about the state of the housing market.
They said it was now very difficult for young people to get on the housing ladder, because of mortgages were so expensive.
James said the biggest issue which needed to be addressed was the NHS and the "record waiting times for appointments and operations".
One of the most striking pledges of the campaign was the plan to bring back a form of national service for 18 year olds.
For James, the NHS is the biggest election issue
The Conservative Party said it would promote "a shared sense of purpose among young people".
But the students questioned whether the plan had been properly costed.
They felt it had more to do with attracting older voters with a popular policy.
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- Published18 June
