Apathy, confusion, distrust or all of the above? The debate around millennials’ lack of political engagement continues. In the run up to May’s General Election, The Book Club is hosting a panel discussion on 27 April, boasting a panel including Ryan Shorthouse from Bright Blue, Jenny Luckett from Generation Rent, Fran Boait from Positive Money, Rhiannon Colvin from AltGen, as well as Sara Ghaffari from Bite The Ballot, each exploring hotly talked about topics such as unemployment, housing, democracy – all matters which poll highly for Millennials. The Book Club is also inviting artists from different disciplines to perform alongside the speakers, to communicate politics through art as well as discourse.
Y does this matter now? Politics is present in everyday life for young people, be it education, housing, employment etc. Millennials are in a position of power, however a large majority don’t realise how impactful their vote can be this May. In fact, 71% of Generation Y believe their vote won’t make a difference, demonstrating the urgency of demystifying the complexities of politics.
With 5.6 million UK 18-24 year olds, (11.3% of the country’s population) Millennials represents a large amount of leverage for political parties who decide to engage them. In the 2010 election, over-65’s had an voter turnout of 76%. In contrast, 18-24 year olds had only 44% with numbers predicted to be alarmingly lower for the upcoming election.
Panel discussion – Generation Y: Your vote counts is taking place at The Book Club (100 Leonard Street, London EC2) on 27 April from 7-9.30pm. To book tickets, visit https://billetto.co.uk/events/generation-y-your-vote-counts
