16 and 17-year-olds are just as capable of thinking for themselves as any other group of voters. Like those over 18, young people base their decisions on a wide range of factors, including their own values, experiences, and hopes for the future –which are often different from those of their parents.

 

The assumption that they would simply vote the same way as their parents is outdated and unfounded. It’s worth remembering that similar arguments were once used to deny women the right to vote, claiming they would simply follow the opinions of their fathers or husbands. We now know how wrong that was. We shouldn’t make the same mistake with young people today.

 

Research from the Scottish independence referendum, where 16- and 17-year-olds were allowed to vote, found that around 40% of under-18s voted differently from their parents.* This shows that young people are capable of thinking independently and making their own informed decisions at the ballot box.

 

*Scottish Independence Referendum Report, December 2014