This paper will engage with evidence from the 2014 Scottish independence referendum with a reduced voting age (16). Using data from a representative survey of 14-17 year olds the paper investigates political attitudes and motivations of newly enfranchised voters. It engages with common criticisms to lower voting ages such as political disinterest and challenges those using comparisons to data from adult surveys.
In addition, the paper provides analyses addressing the question of whether young people merely follow their parents’ views, engaging with the notion that young people may be easily swayed to choose a particular direction. The evidence presented however shows the complexity of how young people’s views are formed through a variety of influencing actors. The research suggests that simplistic understandings of young people’s political attitudes are misguided and that the evidence provides a positive view on 16-year olds’ ability to meaningfully take part in the voting process.
