25
Chapter
ISSUES: Citizenship
Chapter 3: Politics in the UK
Politics in the UK
3
Political disengagement in the UK: who is
disengaged?
Young people
Attitudes
While 18- to 24-year-olds are more likely
to report a low level of knowledge about
politics, they do not necessarily hold
more negative attitudes towards the
political systemoverall.
Young
people
have
a
slightly
more positive view of democracy’s
responsiveness to their interests than
other age groups do (apart from the 60+
group), but are also more likely to report
that they do not know how well the
system addresses their interests.
Political activities
Research using social surveys suggests
young people are more likely to think
that getting involved is effective. This
attitudedoes not translate intoaction: 18-
to 24-year-olds are less likely to say they
have participated in political activities, or
would do so if they cared strongly about
an issue.
Electoral registration
Evidence suggests that young people are
less likely to be on the electoral register
than older people, although some
variation exists between younger age
groups.
A 2014 Electoral Commission study
identified some differences between
young people based on their level of
qualification.
In England and Wales, 78.5% of 18- to
34-year-olds educated to degree level
(or equivalent) were estimated to be
on the electoral register in April 2011,
compared to only 63.3%of those with no
qualifications.
The Electoral Commission notes that in
part, lower levels of registration among
young people are explained by the fact
that young people move house more
often, and mobility has a strong impact
on registration.
Voting
Young people are also less likely to vote
than older people. The IPPR’s 2013 report,
DividedDemocracy
, notes that differences
in turnout between age groups have
increased over time.
Councillors, candidates, MPs
The average age of councillors, MPs and
party members is over 50 years.
Ethnicminorities
Attitudes
The Hansard Society’s 2015
Audit of
Political Engagement
showed that ethnic
minorities weremore likely to be satisfied
with the democratic system in the UK
than white people, but less likely to
report a fair amount of knowledge about
politics.
The figures hide differences between
ethnic groups. Academic research shows
that Black Africans and Black Caribbeans
are more likely to be interested in politics
than other ethnic minorities and white
people. Bangladeshis are most likely to
be satisfied with democracy in Britain,
while also being the least interested in
politics.
Research also shows that a high
proportion of first-generation migrants
(born abroad) believe in the duty to vote.
This rate decreases to 81% in second
generationmigrants (born in the UK to at
least one parent born abroad).
Political activities
The Hansard Society’s 2015 Audit found
that ethnic minorities were less likely
than the white population to engage in
political activities, or to do so if they felt
strongly about an issue.
Electoral registration
Ethnic minorities are less likely to be
included on the electoral register than
white British people. Academics found
that non-registration was much higher
among ethnic minorities: 25% of the
first generation and 20% of second-
generation ethnic minorities who were
eligible to register to vote had not done
so, compared to 10% of the white British
population.
A table in the Audit shows evidence that
there are significant differences in under-
registration among ethnic groups. This
phenomenon ispartlyexplainedbecause
some groups believe (oftenwrongly) that
they are not entitled to be registered.
Voting
Ethnic minorities were more likely to
believe in the duty to vote but were
less likely to actually vote. Survey data
suggests 56% of people from an ethnic
minority background voted in the 2015
general election, compared to 68% of
white people.
Councillors, candidates, MPs
In England 4% came from an ethnic
minority. In Wales it was 0.8% and
in Scotland the percentage of non-
white councillors was similar to that
of its population at 3.4%. Following
the 2015 election, 6.3% of all MPs have
been categorised as from non-white
backgrounds.
Housing and occupational
background
Socio-economic factors have been
associated with political disengagement.
Research suggests that ethnic minorities
are less likely to be middle class, but
significant differences exist between
ethnic minority groups.
