71% of young people YES - 73% of old people NO

2456711

Comments

  • momma11momma11 Posts: 3,843
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    On " Scotland Decides " last night , it was stated that a poll on 16-17 years old found they were more likely to vote NO.
    Why do you think Jim Murphy was advocating the age for voting should be reduced to 16 years old all over the country on all future elections ?
  • GrecomaniaGrecomania Posts: 19,580
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Actually, quite surprising that 18-24 was "No", so shows that a lot of these voters may have regretted their vote, if it had ended up YES, in a short amount of time.
  • RooksRooks Posts: 9,067
    Forum Member
    People shouldnt be so quick to insult them.

    Important thing here, they are young. They are the future of Scotland. All those old no voters are dying off. It doesn't make Scottish loyalty to the UK in the future seem exactly brighter.

    Priorities change as you get older. Idealism get's replaced with pragmatism. At the age of 16 I wouldn't have voted the same as I do now and whilst many under 18s are mature and sensible, the result of the vote would have been less important to them as they don't pay tax and have less responsibility.
  • geemonkeegeemonkee Posts: 2,720
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Young people generally aren't that interested in Politics so don't make an informed choice, so it doesn't surprise me that the figure is so high.

    Old people however are far more likely to be interested in Politics and would be more involved in what is going to happen, they have knowledge on the issue and can use that to make an informed choice.

    What about the 25-54 age group that voted majority Yes?

    (Unless I'm reading the graphic wrong :blush:)
  • GreatGodPanGreatGodPan Posts: 53,186
    Forum Member
    They think differently because they are not paying taxes. Once they start doing that, their opinions will change.

    You mean a person becomes purely self-interested when paying taxes?

    Not a very good advert for the present system.
  • GreatGodPanGreatGodPan Posts: 53,186
    Forum Member
    Who's insulting them? I was exactly the same at that age, a naive leftist. There's no shame in it.

    I don't think loyalty had too much to do with it, the younger voters seem to have voted Yes more for socialism rather than nationalism.

    :D:D:D

    "Yes" equates with Socialism?

    Classic stuff.
  • psionicpsionic Posts: 20,188
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    fefster wrote: »

    Personally, I think saner heads prevailed. Perhaps the young are more impressionable - and the old are more cynical and have had lifetimes worth of lies and broken promises from politicians to help form their decisions?
  • Si_CreweSi_Crewe Posts: 40,202
    Forum Member
    geemonkee wrote: »
    What about the 25-54 age group that voted majority Yes?

    (Unless I'm reading the graphic wrong :blush:)

    I wouldn't read too much into that poll.

    Bear in mind that if you're phoning people at home, during the day (and only 2,000 people), you're only likely to get the participation of certain demographics and, specifically, you're not likely to get the participation of the 90% of adults who're at work.
  • GeneralissimoGeneralissimo Posts: 6,289
    Forum Member
    :D:D:D

    "Yes" equates with Socialism?

    Classic stuff.

    For younger voters, absolutely. The main issues for them were reliance on food banks and the apparent impending privatisation of the NHS.
  • Si_CreweSi_Crewe Posts: 40,202
    Forum Member
    You mean a person becomes purely self-interested when paying taxes?

    Not a very good advert for the present system.

    Or that they start to think more carefully about what's being done with their taxes, eh?
  • GreatGodPanGreatGodPan Posts: 53,186
    Forum Member
    For younger voters, absolutely. The main issues for them were reliance on food banks and the apparent impending privatisation of the NHS.

    Scotland, like the rest of the UK, operates a Capitalist economy - and there was no plan to change that by the "Yes" campaign. Indeed, they were falling over themselves to join/remain in the Big Bosses' EU as soon as possible.

    Being pro-NHS is not a sign of being in favour of Socialism (unfortunately) - many Conservatives are opposed to its privatisation.
  • Devon MilesDevon Miles Posts: 6,654
    Forum Member
    I think it's accepted that YES had the better social media campaign - I guess this would have a bigger effect on the younglings..
  • James2001James2001 Posts: 73,367
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Loads of people were acting as if Yes had won based on scoail media, but as I said on many occasions, the referendum wasn't going to be won on Twitter follows and Facebook likes!
  • MartinPMartinP Posts: 31,358
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    To be clear, 71% of 16-17 year olds who voted, voted yes. I wonder what proportion bothered to vote at all?
  • weirlandia4evaweirlandia4eva Posts: 1,484
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    People shouldnt be so quick to insult them.

    Important thing here, they are young. They are the future of Scotland. All those old no voters are dying off. It doesn't make Scottish loyalty to the UK in the future seem exactly brighter.

    If there is another referendum at some point in the future (say 20 years time) those young Yes voters will have grown older and have more responsibilities-mortgage, kids, retirement savings. So how they voted yesterday will have little bearing on how they might vote in the future. Also the older No voters may have died but they will be replaced by a new generation of oldies just as there will be a new generation of youngsters.
  • MartinPMartinP Posts: 31,358
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.
    - George Orwell
  • linkinpark875linkinpark875 Posts: 29,686
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    18-24 backed no though so not sure the younger voter is all out of it. Hopefully the 16-18 can learn more about about the union values.
  • MidnightFalconMidnightFalcon Posts: 15,016
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    The young turned out in their droves to vote. We should be celebrating that fact.
  • MARTYM8MARTYM8 Posts: 44,710
    Forum Member
    They think differently because they are not paying taxes. Once they start doing that, their opinions will change.

    Yes in the final polls was doing best and often ahead with 25 to 59 year olds - particularly men - who actually pay the most tax.

    Most pensioners pay little tax by comparison - but do get more pensions and benefits.

    It's not really fair to categorise it as young vs old - the middle aged and those in their 30s were most pro yes. Is a 45 year old man young?
  • GibsonSGGibsonSG Posts: 23,681
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    It was also curious that they announced this morning the number of voting papers that were inadmissible and the reasons. I would say, writing your name, defacing it with a picture and ticking both boxes sound incredibly like the work of immature people. It is to be hoped that the immature ones were also youthful or god help us all.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 9,720
    Forum Member
    Young people in trying to be different shocker.
  • Angels_babyAngels_baby Posts: 1,471
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    As someone who was in Scotland for the whole campaign most 16 and 17 year olds were very engaged in the debate and made themselves well informed of 5 he issues. Find it insulting to dismiss them so easily.
  • PattfrancePattfrance Posts: 338
    Forum Member
    People shouldnt be so quick to insult them.

    Important thing here, they are young. They are the future of Scotland. All those old no voters are dying off. It doesn't make Scottish loyalty to the UK in the future seem exactly brighter.

    The young are the future of Scotland, and do not forget it was not only 16-18 year olds but many if the young mums with children that also voted Yes. It appears that it was the older women who did not. Obviously concerned by their money and panicking to transfer it to England!!!!! (as seen in their blogs) If the Yes vote had won, they probably had to 2016 to do that if necessary. The next point was their pensions, OH DEAR!!!!! It is totally selfish and they need to think about the young voters and young families who have many more years ahead. They should have been listened to, it is their time now. I am 70 and feel I have earned the right to say this. I am English born, although I have lived more than half of my life in Scotland, gaining my MA at Glasgow University in Scottish History.
  • GrecomaniaGrecomania Posts: 19,580
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Pattfrance wrote: »
    The young are the future of Scotland, and do not forget it was not only 16-18 year olds but many if the young mums with children that also voted Yes. It appears that it was the older women who did not. Obviously concerned by their money and panicking to transfer it to England!!!!! (as seen in their blogs) If the Yes vote had won, they probably had to 2016 to do that if necessary. The next point was their pensions, OH DEAR!!!!! It is totally selfish and they need to think about the young voters and young families who have many more years ahead. They should have been listened to, it is their time now. I am 70 and feel I have earned the right to say this. I am English although I have lived at least half of my time in Scotland, gaining my MA at Glasgow University in Scottish History.

    They have been listened to, and they were allowed to vote, again though 18-24 was "no" so it really does show (if you believe this poll) many of those would be regretting their own vote by 2016 if it had been Yes .
  • WhiteFangWhiteFang Posts: 3,970
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Old people are just young people with lots of life experience. So when the young get older they might vote just the same way.
Sign In or Register to comment.