Should politicians listen to young people? Last week we asked our readers to vote on which ideas they would like to see on party manifestos. There were some surprising results.
Get involved: What YOU told us you want
Should politicians listen to young people? Last week we asked our readers to vote on which ideas they would like to see on party manifestos. There were some surprising results.
Keir Starmer did not mince his words: "Yes, I want to see 16- and 17-year-olds voting."1
In this respect Starmer is in tune with The Day's readers. When we asked which ideas you wanted politicians to pursue, lowering the voting age from 18 got the most votes.
Next came Universal Basic Income (UBI). This means that the state gives everyone enough money to live on without having to work.
Third was assisted dying. Fourth was degrowth: using less energy and other resources .
Two ideas tied for fifth place. One was a 15-hour working week. The other was a maximum voting age, so that older people can make way for those who own the future.
The question is how many of these are likely to become reality. For that to happen, they need the support both of politicians and older voters.
An opinion poll published on Monday2 shows that voters as a whole have very different priorities. Among the 17 most popular issues, lowering the voting age came right at the bottom. Just 32% of voters supported it while 59% opposed it.
Significantly, 79% of those against it were over 65. But even among 18-to-24-year-olds support was divided, with 47% for and 41% against.
Two more of The Day readers' top six issues have a chance of becoming law. Keir Starmer is known to support legal euthanasiaThe deliberate and painless ending of a life. , and the LibDems have said that they would welcome a debate and vote in parliament.
In 2022 the Welsh government launched a three-year pilot scheme for Universal Basic Income, offering 500 people leaving care £1,600 a month. The Scottish Greens have said they would introduce trial schemes in communities across Scotland.
And last month Geoffrey Hinton, known as "the godfather of AI", said he supported UBI. He has advised the British government to bring it in before a lot of jobs are lost to AI.3
Should politicians listen to young people?
Yes: They are less stuck in a rut than adults and can often have more bright ideas. They will also be more affected in the long run by the decisions being made today than older people will.
No: They are more than likely to change their minds as they get older and they may not be the most objective judges of what is good for us.
Or... Politicians should listen to everybody, regardless of their age. It is their duty to govern the country on behalf of the whole population, even though a third of it is not registered to vote.
Euthanasia - The deliberate and painless ending of a life.
Get involved: What YOU told us you want

Glossary
Euthanasia - The deliberate and painless ending of a life.