UK, 15 February 2018: The number of UK 18-year-olds who have a profile on Instagram is more than double those who are ready to vote for the first time, new statistics have revealed.
The number of people turning 18 who are registered to vote has fallen by 6.09% year-on-year. Just 374,515 youngsters joined the list for 2017, down from 391,978 the previous year.
The statistics from the annual canvass come as politicians continue to debate whether the right to vote should be extended to 16- and 17-year-olds.
Experian’s Head of Consumer Affairs James Jones said: “Many young people are engaged in politics, but there are still those who are more likely to post a selfie on social media than cross a ballot paper. Yet there are a big range of non-political reasons to join the electoral roll. It is seen as a sign of stability by lenders, so it can help people strengthen their credit score and access cheaper rates on loans, credit cards and mortgages. The electoral roll can also be used to check an individual’s identity, which helps give them quick and easy access to a wide range of online services.”
Figures for registered voters overall are more encouraging, topping 47 million for the first time. The 47,161,118 registered voters represent a 0.69% rise on the previous annual canvass.
Reasons to sign up for the electoral roll include:
Social Media Membership among 18 Year-Old Internet Users in the UK
Table 1: 18-year-olds on the electoral roll and popular social media platforms
Social media figures provided by GlobalWebIndex
|
Platform |
2018 |
|
Electoral Roll |
374,515 |
|
YouTube |
1,018,678 |
|
|
991,663 |
|
|
895,195 |
|
Snapchat |
891,145 |
|
|
818,541 |
|
|
698,898 |
ENDS
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Tel: 0207 932 5580 / Email: experian@marlinpr.com
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