Does Public Opinion Want Voting at 16 ? An Analysis of Belgian Survey Data.

There is an ongoing debate about lowering the voting age to 16 years, while in most electoral democracies, this currently stands at the age of 18. There is by now a large body of empirical research, showing that lowering the voting age has limited positive effects on e.g., the political engagement of young age groups. Currently, however, there is not much research on the question whether public opinion actually favours lowering the voting age. In a representative population survey in Belgium, we asked respondents what would be the ideal age to receive voting rights, ranging from 16 to 25 years old. A first look at the distribution of answers suggests that a vast majority of respondents is in favour of a status-quo by keeping the voting age at 18. Rather surprisingly, younger respondents tend to agree with this preference. In the full analysis, we investigate what effect age, political sophistication and ideological position have on the preference for lowering the voting age. We close with some observations on what effect public opinion on this topic might have on the political decision-making process in this regard.