Electoral turnout for young people peaks immediately after their enfranchisement, then falls sharply

It is established that young people tend to vote less than older generations, particularly in Britain. However, less well understood are the differences in turnout among young people. Based on elections in Finland and Denmark, Yosef Bhatti, Kasper M Hansen, and Hanna Wass have shown that turnout is highest when young people can vote immediately after being enfranchised, and then falls away. This phenomenon, they argue, supports some of the arguments in favour of lowering the voting age to 16. This post is part of our ongoing series on youth participation.