Political Participation

Ever since the Great Reform Act of 1832, the franchise in Britain has been extending. This is a great thing, as widespread political participation is vital for a healthy democracy. However, the reality is that certain groups of people participate more than others, meaning they weld a lot more influence over the government. This in turn calls into question the legitimacy of a government, and how representative it truly is of the public at large.

Firstly, older people are more likely to vote than younger people are. This may be because young people feel there is nothing on offer for them, or perhaps because they lack faith in the political system. Whatever the reason, though, the result is that politicians of all persuasions tend to gear their programmes towards the elderly, with policies such as the ‘triple-lock’ and Winter Fuel Allowance. Meanwhile, young people are often ignored, as politicians feel their vote is not important enough to fight for.

That said, there has been an increase in youth turnout for recent referenda, which could suggest that young people care more about single-issues than the broader government. There was also a surge in the youth vote at the last General Election, which many analysts have put down to Jeremy Corbyn’s youth-targeting policies, such as abolishing university tuition fees. It is also worth noting that a lot of young people do engage with more digital means of participation, such as e-petitions and social media groups. However, these will rarely be as effective as turning out for a general election.

Another group that turn out in large numbers is those of a higher social class. Again, this means parties will often target middle-class voters more than working-class ones, leaving workers without a programme they can believe in. It also leads to a lot of concerns held by the working-class being dismissed, as again, their support is not as important to winning an election. The same can also be said of those belonging to an ethnic minority - as they are a minority, their support is not as important to a party as the Caucasian vote, and so is addressed as something of an afterthought.

In short, the big discrepancy in turnout from different groups in society is harming the legitimacy of our democracy, and giving certain people the policies they want, while leaving others behind.