Summary information
Study title
Young people and politics in Britain: How do young people participate in politics and what can be done to strengthen their political connection?
Creator
Henn, M, Nottingham Trent University
Study number / PID
850645 (UKDA)
10.5255/UKDA-SN-850645 (DOI)
Data access
Restricted
Series
Not available
Abstract
This project follows on from a national survey completed by the lead researcher in 2002 that investigated the attitudes towards politics held by British 18 year olds. That earlier study identified a significant degree of disengagement amongst young people, of whom only 39 per cent voted at the 2001 General Election.
The current study will focus upon a new generation of young people a decade later, and will examine whether or not their views about the political and democratic process differ from those recorded in 2002 – and if so how.
Firstly we will conduct a national online questionnaire survey amongst 1,000 18 year olds (voters and non-voters). Secondly we will carry out online focus groups with young people who opted not to vote at the recent 2010 General Election. Supplementing the survey with the use of focus groups will enable us to gain insights into what it is that influences young people’s decisions to abstain from voting, and what are the means by which young people might be reconnected to the political process.
The study is innovative in its use of online methods which will help to increase accessibility and the appeal of participation in the study for young people.
Topics
Keywords
Methodology
Data collection period
01/03/2011 - 31/07/2012
Country
United Kingdom
Time dimension
Not availableAnalysis unit
Individual
Universe
Not availableSampling procedure
Not availableKind of data
Numeric
Data collection mode
A national online survey of attainers—18 year olds eligible to vote for the first time at the 2010 UK General Election. The sample was generated from Ipsos MORI’s online access panel, using a specified age criterion to select our eligible respondents, all of whom were invited to participate. The age criterion was calculated by using date of birth to establish that respondents had their eighteenth birthday before - and were therefore eligible to vote in - the UK General Election of 6th May 2010, but after the local and European elections of 4th June 2009. This ensured that all members of the sampling frame had no voting experience prior to the 2010 General Election. Once the access panel was exhausted, additional partner panels were used to boost the responses to eventually achieve the final sample of n = 1,025. Region and gender quotas were also used to control the final profile of the sample. Finally, data have been weighted according to gender, ethnicity and region according to the most recently available census updates, recorded in mid-2010. Data collection took place from 20th April to 4th May 2011, thereby ensuring that respondents had not yet had the opportunity to vote in the Alternative Vote referendum of 5th May 2011. The survey produced a single dataset containing 1,025 cases and 438 variables.
Funding information
Grant number
RES-000-22-4450
Access
Publisher
UK Data Service
Publication year
2012
Terms of data access
The Data Collection is available for download to users registered with the UK Data Service
Related publications
Not available