Too Young to Vote?
I am a 16 year old first time voter who is being given the opportunity to help decide the
constitutional future of our country— no pressure! Last Friday (12th September), RGC was privileged
to play host to BBC Radio 4’s programme ‘Any Questions?’ and I was asked to report on the event. In
particular, I was given the task of exploring the effect that the evening - and indeed the key issue of
Scottish independence - has had upon 16 and 17 year old voters.
The evening began by interviewing the audience that was attending and gaining their opinions upon
16 and 17 year old voters. Among those interviewed were the Head of College, the Chairman of the
Board of Governors, RGC parents, RGC pupils and members of the public. Most of those asked
agreed that 16 and 17 year olds had been very impressive with their mature and enthusiastic
approach to the issue at hand. However, although many people agreed that it was right for 16 and
17 year olds to have the vote in the independence referendum, many said that they weren’t sure
about 16 and 17 year olds becoming a permanent addition to the electorate. With regards to the
evening, Mr Gambles, said that it was “perfectly timed” and hoped that it would further inform
young people ahead of Thursday’s vote.
Many young people present explained that they thought it was important for their generation to be
engaged with politics and that the referendum had definitely stimulated their interest; certainly,
those I spoke to seemed to be looking forward to the debate and had high expectations for the
evening.
A different perspective was offered by Ruth Davidson, MSP and Leader of the Scottish Conservatives,
who when asked about her opinion on young voters explained that her party had initially been
opposed to lowering the voting age; she said that she didn’t believe that it was right to change the
rules for a single referendum. However, she then went on to say that it was the greatest level of
engagement with politics ever seen from the age group and that the permanent voting age was
subject to review.
The ‘Any Questions?’ debate was on the whole of a high standard and many people that I spoke to
thought that it was at a higher standard than the #bigbigdebate televised at the Hydro in Glasgow,
which I and other pupils from RGC had attended the previous day.
When the survey cards were collected from the 16 and 17 year olds who were present, it was found
that one of the main criticisms of the evening was that it was not long enough, suggesting that
people had found the debate to be informative and interesting. The questionnaires also highlighted
that on a scale of 1-10, the 16-17 year olds surveyed were overwhelmingly passionate about the
referendum and every single one of them is intending to vote on Thursday. The vast majority believe
that they will continue to be interested in politics after the referendum but the most fascinating
answers were given in response to the question asking whether or not they believed that 16-17 year
olds should be allowed to vote in all elections as they were split absolutely equally on that issue!
I was also able to interview Jonathan Dimbleby, the Chairman of ‘Any Questions?’, about his views
on the issue. He was passionate about young people being involved in politics, saying that they
should be stimulated by it and that it should really matter to teenagers like me because it is “your
future”. No matter the outcome of Thursday’s vote, I believe that the referendum has energised
young people’s involvement in politics and has engaged many of us in a way that seems likely to
continue well into the future.
Responses from 36 16-17 year olds to questions about the Scottish Independence Referendum
1. Do you feel that you know enough to make a well informed decision on the referendum
question?
YES
34
NO
2
2. On a scale of 1 (not interested) and 10 (passionately interested) - and regardless of whether
you would favour a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’ vote - how strongly do you feel about the Independence
issue?
1
-
2
1
3
-
4
-
5
-
6
1
7
2
8
8
9
8
10
16
3. Regardless of the referendum result, do you think that your interest in politics will continue
after the Independence vote?
YES
30
NO
2
DON’T KNOW
4
4. Do you think that 16 and 17 year olds should be allowed to vote in all elections?
YES
18
NO
18
5. Are you intending to vote in the referendum?
YES
36
NO
-