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In the previous chapter, we considered the importance of ‘age’ as a—if not the—defining feature of contemporary British politics. We argued that young people’s (dis)engagement with electoral politics, was in many respects shaped by the ‘Supply’ of politics—including for instance, political parties’ election manifesto promises and their communication strategies. In this chapter, we shift attention from supply issues to young people’s ‘Demand’ for politics, a demand driven by their underlying political values. In particular, these include anti-establishment and postmaterialist values. These values underpin a recent leftist turn amongst many young people in the UK, manifested by their support in recent years for anti-austerity, cosmopolitan and pro-environmental political parties (and movements), as well as their receptiveness to, and participation in, lifestyle politics. We examine how these values came to the fore at the 2016 Brexit Referendum, the 2017 UK ‘Youthquake’ election, as well as the wave of environmental protests peaking in 2019.

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From Political Disengagement to Youthquakes: How and Why Young People Became Active in British Politics

  • 章节

  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • James Sloam,
  • Matt Henn,
  • Ana Isabel Nunes

摘要

In the previous chapter, we considered the importance of ‘age’ as a—if not the—defining feature of contemporary British politics. We argued that young people’s (dis)engagement with electoral politics, was in many respects shaped by the ‘Supply’ of politics—including for instance, political parties’ election manifesto promises and their communication strategies. In this chapter, we shift attention from supply issues to young people’s ‘Demand’ for politics, a demand driven by their underlying political values. In particular, these include anti-establishment and postmaterialist values. These values underpin a recent leftist turn amongst many young people in the UK, manifested by their support in recent years for anti-austerity, cosmopolitan and pro-environmental political parties (and movements), as well as their receptiveness to, and participation in, lifestyle politics. We examine how these values came to the fore at the 2016 Brexit Referendum, the 2017 UK ‘Youthquake’ election, as well as the wave of environmental protests peaking in 2019.