School of Social and Political Science

Votes at 16 in Scotland 2014-2021 study

The Votes at 16 in Scotland 2014-2021 study - led by Jan Eichhorn of the School of Social and Political Science - assesses the impact of Scotland's lowering of the voting age to 16 in 2014.

Using original survey data, the report examines how people aged 16 to 31 engage in politics, comparing those who voted for the first time at 16 or 17 with those who began voting at 18.

Some key findings of the report are:

  • Voter turnout is higher among those who first voted from the age of 16 or 17.
  • The younger voting age has had no long-term effects on other forms of political engagement, such as demonstrations or petitions.
  • Standard voting inequalities - related to characteristics such as socio-occupational class - reemerge as people get older.
  • Political engagement of those aged 16 to 31 is largely affected by their family contexts.

The report is published by the University of Edinburgh in cooperation with the University of Sheffield and the think tank d|part.

Read the full report:

Votes at 16 in Scotland 2014 - 2021 (PDF, 800k)