A new poll suggests that many teenagers are anxious about their futures and are unsure about whether to vote in the next general election or not.
The survey by the children’s commissioner found that 28% of 13 to 17-year-olds polled said they were undecided about which party they would support, while 20% said they were unsure if they would vote at all.
A further 11% said they did not plan to vote in the next general election.
The research also revealed widespread concerns about the future, with nine in 10 young people saying they worry about issues such as housing, finances, academic success, and global conflict.
“One of the biggest challenges is that there’s not many spaces within schools and outside of schools for young people to have meaningful political debate, to form their own views, and to connect with our political system,” says Pip Sayers, youth programme manager at non-partisan democratic education and engagement organisation The Politics Project.
“Therefore, we need to help young people see the ways in which political decisions are affecting the things that they care about and affect their day-to-day lives.”
Here are some tips and conversation starters to help teenagers become more interested and involved in politics…
Talk about issues that they already care about
“Find out what issues they care about and are directly affected by,” recommends Sayers. “For example, they might have a particular football club that they’re passionate about or might be concerned about climate change.
“Every issue is impacted by political positions, so try and link politics to what they already care about.”
Find local issues that they connect with
“Show them a map of your local area and ask them, is there anywhere in the local area that you avoid? Why is that? Do you feel unsafe or unwelcome anywhere? What would you do to change that?” suggests Sayers.
“This is a great way to get them to start thinking about what local issues directly impact them.”
Talk to them about the news
“It sounds so simple, but talk to your kids about the news and about things that are happening locally and around the world,” says Sayers.
Ask questions
“Once you find an issue that they are interested in, try and ask them more questions about it,” recommends Sayers. “Let them lead the conversation and express their own opinions, and be genuinely intrigued about what they have to say.
“Make sure you listen and create a space where they feel heard and valued.”
Encourage healthy discussions and disagreements
“We all have opinions and I think it’s important to allow disagreements to take place to show your children that it’s OK if you don’t agree on the same things,” says Sayers.
Don’t shut anything down
“Avoid shutting them down, especially in a one-on-one conversation,” advises Sayers. “Tease out ideas, and if you think that something they say doesn’t quite make sense, encourage them to explore it further.
“Encourage them to back up their arguments and research things together, rather than getting your phone out and proving them wrong.”
Find resources that are relevant to their interests and age
“First News, for example, is an organisation that we partner with that publishes a weekly newspaper that’s designed specifically for young people between the ages of seven and 14,” says Sayers.
“In addition, most of the big news organisations now have Instagram and TikTok accounts that are aimed at a younger audience.”
Encourage critical thinking
“Encourage them to think critically about the information that they are consuming,” advises Sayers. “Get them to start thinking about where the information is coming from, if it is an impartial or biased source, and whether the information is actually accurate.”
Show them how to register to vote
“Many young people don’t engage in elections because they’re not registered, so it’s important for them to know that you can register to vote up to two years before you reach voting age,” says Sayers. “It’s a very simple process and takes no more than five minutes.
“The last thing we want to happen is for a young person to find out an election is taking place, to start getting interested in politics and then realise they’ve missed the boat to register and therefore can’t vote.”
Ask them how they have already created positive change
“Young people often don’t feel like they have the power to make change happen, so I would encourage them to think about ways that they already do make change happen,” recommends Sayers.
“Ask them to give you an example of a time where they did something because they thought it was the right thing to do. This could be a time where they helped a friend or stood up for someone that was being accused of something.
“This can be a nice, wholesome activity to get them to realise that they already impact the world positively.”
Give them opportunities to make decisions and take the lead
“Part of politics is about feeling like you have power to make things happen, therefore I think it’s important to sometimes give young people a space to be in charge,” suggests Sayers.
He adds that you can do this in a way that doesn’t feel outwardly political.
“For example, if you are going on a day out together, you could ask them to decide what they want to do,” suggests Sayers. “Giving them space to lead sometimes can be quite empowering. It can help give them confidence to feel like I’m a capable person and I can do these things.”