Australians have long liked to think of themselves as laid back and relaxed. From the much-touted “beach lifestyle”, to the image of the easy-going larrikin, this rather out-dated conception of Australia has become part of our national mythology. However, this impression has also been accompanied by the belief that Australian voters – specifically young Australian voters – are not only apathetic about politics, but have little power to effect political change. This notion is not only corrosive to democratic engagement and participation, but is incorrect in practice.
After every federal election since 1987, the Australian National University (ANU) has released the Australian Election Study (AES). The results of the most recent AES — published in 2022 — reveal not only that young people are actively engaged in politics, but that they have a significant effect on electoral outcomes.
As the 2022 AES revealed, young people’s support of Labor was key to the party’s success. Whilst the Coalition only received the votes of one in four voters under 40, 38% of this same cohort voted for Labor.
Young people were similarly pivotal to the unprecedented success of minor parties at the election, with the Greens being elected in four out of the five seats that had the highest proportion of voters under 30. In this way, the youth vote was a significant driver of the broader trend away from the major parties that emerged at the 2022 election.
But what are the implications of this “youthquake” for Australian democracy?
At the 2022 election, voters under 40 outnumbered voting baby boomers, with this under-40 cohort only set to grow in proportion to the broader electorate before the next federal ballot. This means that the political power of younger voters is only going to rise.
Arguably, this increase in political efficacy could not come at a better time. As the AES reveals, younger voters are more concerned about environmental issues than their older counterparts. This is partly due to the disproportionate effect that such issues will have on younger generations’ lives. It also means the youth vote is going to be essential in driving governments to take concrete action to deal with climate change’s ongoing effects. This was particularly reflected in the unprecedented four lower House seats secured by the Greens in 2022.
However, young voters are also going to be pivotal to the result of the upcoming Voice referendum later this year. New data released by the Australian Electoral Commission at recent Senate Estimates hearings revealed that 90.3% of voters aged 18-24 are registered on the electoral roll – the first time that this cohort has reached 90% since the commission started collecting data in 2016.
Furthermore, according to the AES, younger Australians are more engaged in issue-based politics than any of their generational counterparts, often avoiding partisan voting. Many political scientists have suggested that as a result, young people will be key to the outcome of the Voice referendum. This is only compounded by the significant role younger voters have historically played in educating older voters in their lives – a trend reflected in the 1999 republican referendum.
Such evidence only affirms the strong political potency of young people – a conclusion that it seems will only become more apparent as time goes on.
However, understanding this fact, and ensuring it pervades the psyche of the broader Australian populace – particularly the psyche of young Australians – are two separate things entirely.
It was once said of Australia that we could be called “the lucky country”. However, rather than being an endearing descriptor, its use in Donald Horne’s 1964 book came with the caveat that Australia’s populace was deeply apathetic and unambitious, and largely elected “second rate” leaders who shared their nation’s “luck”. Whether history will prove Horne’s thesis to be true is ultimately not important. What is important however, is the implication it holds – in a democracy, the quality of our elected representatives and system of government is tied entirely to the will and participation of the people.
As the 2020s roll on, the world will continue to face a series of crises. Now more than ever, it is vital that governments recognise the significant power that the youth vote holds and act accordingly. Similarly, younger voters must not lose faith in our system of government – their vote matters and will make a difference. As a nation, we must all recognise and acknowledge this fact.
After all, it is not just the health, but the future of our democracy that depends on it.