How will Gen Z vote?

This will be the first UK election for millions of young voters and they’re a rebellious, progressive, pro-welfare group, according to recent data from the National Centre for Social Research. Born between 1997 and 2011, Gen Z made up only 9 per cent of the electorate in 2020. This year it’s an eight million-strong voting-age cohort accounting for roughly 15 per cent of the enfranchised population – which, with Labour’s current poll lead at 22 per cent, makes them a significant force. The Brexit referendum was a hugely politicising event for this age group, according to political scientist Professor Sir John Curtice, who discusses the NatCen data on Tortoise’s Trendy podcast this week. This makes them more likely than Millennials to vote Labour.

“They’re not necessarily keen on more tax and spending, not least because they’re already paying more tax with their student debt and state spending is weighted towards older generations,” Curtice says. “The Green Party will do better with Gen Z on equalities and gender issues, but all the survey results show younger people are not especially concerned about climate change.” Data from the Resolution Foundation and the British Election Survey places the economy at the top of Gen Z’s voting concerns, far higher than other generations. Conversely, immigration is a minor concern. The NatCen data shows Gen Zs are willing to break laws they don’t agree with, support liberal drug policy and oppose punitive criminal justice. They also want a progressive approach to funding adult social care and are the most likely generation to support the idea that the most well-off in society pay the most. The big question, says Curtice, is: how many of them will vote?