Half of young adults say over-70s should be banned from voting on the country’s future
A SHOCK poll last night showed half of young adults reckon the over-70s should be barred from voting on the country’s future.
The Britain-wide survey revealed 47 per cent of the 16-34 age bracket think pensioners shouldn’t get a say on issues like Brexit and Scottish independence - as it’s the younger generation that has to live longest with the consequences.
The Panelbase poll of 2,013 people in Scotland, England and Wales was commissioned pro-Scottish Independence website Wings Over Scotland, after studies showed older people swung the Brexit vote in favour of Leave - and pensioners sealed the 2014 Scottish referendum No victory.
It found 32 per cent overall “broadly agreed” and 68 per cent “broadly disagreed” that over-70s should be stripped of a vote on “matters of potential major permanent change such as Brexit”.
But in the 16-34 age group, the ban/don’t ban split narrowed to 47/53.
In 35-54 bracket, it was 34/66, while over-55s disagreed most strongly with a ban - with just 18 per cent agreeing, and 82 per cent disagreeing.
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The poll asked voters if they “broadly agreed” or “broadly disagreed” with the statement: “In matters of potential major permanent change such as Brexit there should be an upper age limit of 70 on voting, because people who won’t have to live with the consequences of a vote
shouldn’t dictate the outcome to those who will.”
Research after the 2016 EU referendum found that the older the voter, the more likely they were to back Brexit.
And a major academic study carried out after the 2014 Scottish independence referendum revealed the No votes of older people were a major driver behind Yes losing.
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