London Mayoral Election looms: yet 2 in 5 voters under 35 aren’t aware that there’s an election
New polling by the city’s thinktank, Centre for London, in partnership with Savanta, reveals that of voters aged 18-34, 2 in 5 (39%) are under- or misinformed about the upcoming elections. 15% believe there wasn’t due to be a London Mayoral Election at all in 2024, while 24% say they don’t know.
Looking at Londoners of all ages, while 83% believed they could name the London Mayor, worryingly, less than 1 in 5 (19%) stated they could name their local assembly member.
It’s clear that London’s democratic process faces a critical challenge: too many Londoners are unaware about the upcoming mayoral election. Combined with the likely obstacles caused by the new voter ID system, the voices of significant proportions of voters may be left unheard on 2nd May.
This data is from a new polling initiative from Centre for London and Savanta called What London Thinks, which aims to get to the heart of the issues affecting Londoners.
Key statistics from the data include:
- Overall, 39% of voters aged 18-34 had incorrect or lacking information on the London Mayoral Election. Of this age group, 15% stated there isn’t due to be a London Mayoral election, and 24% didn’t know.
- Regarding other age groups, 29% of those between 34-54 and 12% of those over 55 did not think there would be or were unsure if there is due to be a 2024 Mayoral Election.
- Londoners over 55 were more likely to state they could name the London Mayor (93%) than those between 18-34 (75%).
- People from a White background (87%) or Mixed background (85%) were proportionally most likely to say they could name the London Mayor, in comparison to those from an Asian background (80%) or a Black background (77%).
Antonia Jennings, CEO of Centre for London, says:
“A functional democracy relies on the whole population’s engagement in politics. Yet, in London we are falling at the first hurdle – voting.
So often, we see manifestos and policy decisions which favour those turning out to vote. It makes sense, it’s how you get elected. Yet, as younger voters are becoming disenfranchised with politics, feeling underrepresented, overlooked, and quite frankly ignored by our elected officials, they lose out on the opportunity to shape policy and be heard. It becomes a self-perpetuating cycle.
New rules on voter ID add yet another hurdle to young people voting. The Electoral Commission estimated a third of those aged 18-24 were unaware they required ID to vote. Many more young voters may be lost when they are informed they need to return home, pick up ID – if they have the correct identification – to come back and try to vote again. This new rule seems ludicrous in the UK when we have so few cases of voter fraud.
As the mayoral candidates ramp up their campaigns, they must do so honestly, engaging those left behind and building policy for all Londoners – not just their voting base”.
Chris Hopkins, Political Research Director of Savanta, says:
“It is often a helpful reminder to those engaged in politics that they are in the minority. Most people do not follow politics day-to-day, and our research shows a significant proportion of younger people in particular are either under-or-misinformed about this year’s Mayoral election.”
“Our findings show that Londoners are passionate about a range of issues impacting their city, from air quality to crime. The fact many do not know who their London assembly member is does not mean they don’t want to have a view on the future of London.”