Young people, leave older people to decide the EU referendum for you at your own peril

81 per cent of those over 55 will vote but a mere 52 per cent of young people say they will definitely turn up

82 per cent of the older generation intend on voting in the EU referendum

If you’re young and reading this, there’s a one in two chance you’ll make the effort to vote in the upcoming EU referendum. If you’re slightly older, those odds shoot up to 81 per cent. Youth participation in politics is in a dire state; 58 per cent of young people turned up to vote in the 2015 general election. A young person myself, this voter apathy among us is worrying, especially considering it’s our future on the ballot paper in the EU referendum.

Nicky Morgan said Brexit would be damaging to young people’s chances in life, and she’s right. Whilst this is not another piece telling you what makes the EU so good for young people, it is important to note that the EU grants young people access to an array of jobs, education opportunities and lower prices. This is undoubtedly why in a recent poll by Opinum, 53 per cent of young people want to remain in the EU, whilst 29 per cent want to leave. Contrast this to the results of those over 55 years and it is clear what a big role young people have the potential to play in the referendum. Of the older generation in the poll, 30 per cent said they wanted to remain whilst 54 per cent said leave.

Even more shocking is the likely participation rates in the referendum. 81 per cent of those 55 and over will turn up to vote, whilst a mere 52 per cent of young people say they will definitely turn up to vote. Both sides are pretty much neck and neck, with the Leave camp inches ahead of the Remain team in a recent poll. Looking at these numbers it is clear that young people will be the deciding factor in the referendum and have the ability to deliver a crushing blow to the ‘outers’. The Remain campaign obviously know this, otherwise they wouldn’t have tried to court the youth vote with the, admittedly disastrous, “#Votin” video. Whilst it was quite patronising and made the political elite look even more out of touch, its message of getting out to vote for the sake of young people’s futures was clear and correct.

So why is it that young people tend to be so much more apathetic than their older counterparts? The more likely reason is that young people see the Commons as a congregation old bickering men. This is not relatable or appealing to young people, so they disregard the whole concept of politics. As a result, turnout in elections is low and politicians have less of an incentive to address young people’s issues in their campaigns. It becomes a vicious circle since young people see the politicians, who now clearly have little interest in young people’s problems, as even more out of touch and even less worth voting for.

With Britain on the verge of leaving the EU, and such a clear preference among young people to remain in the EU, it is vital for young people to emerge come polling day not only to protect our own futures, but to prove to the political elite that young people can have a significant impact on politics and are a force to be reckoned with in future elections. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so let’s not allow it to slip though our fingers.