Young people vote less but still 'want to be heard'

Young people say they just want to be heard by those in power

Disrupted education, Covid lockdowns, declining mental health, and the prospect of not being able to afford to move out of mum and dad's for years.

Just some of the pressing issues that have a huge impact on the young.

So why don't political parties do more to appeal to them?

The answer is simple: Older people are far more likely to vote.

According to the independent British Election Study, while barely half of 18-24s took part in the 2019 general election, more than 80% of the over-75s went to the polls.

As a result, "the agenda in the UK is skewed," said Professor Andrew Russell, of the University of Liverpool's politics department.

"Parties target the groups who are more likely to vote - and that's older people."

This explains why the so-called grey vote is powerful, and why many politicians are terrified of alienating them.

Less is made, though, of the risks of ignoring younger voters.

Many younger people have used the BBC's Your Voice, Your Vote platform to talk about the subjects they are passionate about.

Above all, they just want to be heard by those in power.

Amy, Mala and James share their concerns about how young people are treated by politicians

While the general election on 4 July comes too soon for 16-year-old James, from the Gorton area of Manchester, he is desperate for politicians to "build a future" for his generation.

"They're always going on about making a better future for us," he said. "But what are you doing?

"You're trying to make a better life for us but you're rocking up prices?"

James said it had been particularly difficult to watch his mum struggle with soaring prices.

"Everything has gone up. Covid, the cost of living, even paying the electricity bill and getting food on the table, it's hard you know?

"I see my mum struggle every day and it's heart-breaking."

Daniel and Amy agree it's vital to vote - but so many of their peers do not see the point

Mala, also 16 and from Gorton, said she felt like the impact of the pandemic and lockdown restrictions on children had been largely "forgotten".

She said: "Before it, I was good at school, I was getting by and getting good grades, and then Covid happened and... my grades just got worse."

For Mala, while much political capital was made on people returning to the workplace, children were left out.

She said: "I didn't feel like we were really heard. It was about the adults going back into work and the nurses."

At 17, college student Amy will also be too young to vote in the general election.

She supports the Green Party, feeling both Labour and the Conservatives "lack ambition" when it comes to addressing the formidable challenges faced by the country, specifically on taxing wealthier earners.

'Too timid'

"Climate change is quite a big thing for me, and raising taxes on the wealthy," said Amy, from Stockport.

"Labour has been too timid to address things like the NHS."

Amy, who is autistic, was not the only young person to mention waiting lists.

Daniel Wortley, 18, said: "We need change badly - mental health care is literally ridiculous at the minute.

"When we went into Covid, versus when we went out of Covid, the world has changed now."

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All four were unanimous in their belief that it is essential to vote.

William Morris, from Chester, is several years older at 22 and has been engaged in politics since his student days.

He was briefly a member of the Conservative Party, but said he was veering towards voting for the Liberal Democrats in July.

"I'm Type 1 diabetic so I'm quite heavily reliant on the NHS, and I have seen first-person how it's collapsing," he said.

William said he was "impressed" with the Lib Dems' manifesto and drawn to promises about closing tax loopholes.

John Taylor wants politicians to offer a much bolder vision of how they'd improve public services

John Taylor considers himself left-leaning and has voted Labour in the past.

The 27-year-old nuclear engineer believes the party currently "lacks ambition".

John thinks the state of the NHS, and public services generally, are the most pressing issue facing the country.

"It just seems like none of them are working," he said. "They are all getting worse. I have family working in the NHS and they are struggling.

"It seems like there's no money and a lot of the parties have given up on fixing things."

John, originally from Wales but now living with his girlfriend in Warrington, thinks the Conservatives are "spent".

He's not too enamoured with Labour either.

"With the leadership style, I think [Keir Starmer] has tried to be everything to everyone, but if you do that you don't stand for anything." he said.

John said he had considered not voting for any of the main parties, but is reserving his judgement until the publication of all their manifestos.

He, and so many of his peers, is hoping for some inspiration.

Politicians, it's over to you.