Who's Got A Polling Card? The Most Are Older and Property Owners

1st July 2024

Much hay has been made in recent years about age becoming a stronger predictor of vote than class (we wrote about it here). So, the age distribution of voter registration is eyebrow raising.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a pension-age voter who *isn't* registered to vote, with an impressive 96 per cent of the 65+ population present on the electoral roll. At the same time, a scant 60 per cent of 18-19-year-olds are registered, and even among the 25-34-year-olds, one in four voters are not registered.

That might be down to political disengagement (see first chart), but housing tenure may also play a part. As you're all aware, soaring house prices and stagnant wages have put home ownership out of reach of more and more young households, forcing them to spend longer than ever in the private rental sector. And people who rent move more frequently, dropping off the electoral register in the process. As you can see above - 95 per cent of owner occupiers are registered to vote, but only 65 per cent of private renters.

Read more at Resolution Foundation