It’s hard to believe that the UK hasn’t had a general election since Boris Johnson and the Conservatives won in 2019, but a global pandemic and three prime ministers has meant a lot has changed in the last four years. And now with a general election on the near horizon in 2024, the political world is already gearing up to convince the public once again to support and vote for their political parties.

However, one demographic that seems to get neglected amongst all the campaigning is younger people, especially those aged between 18-25 years old. Research from Ipsos MORI found that turnout in the 2019 election was around 47% for 18-24 year olds but up to 74% among the over 65s age group.

The Body Shop also surveyed young people about their voting patterns and political engagement and found that almost two-fifths of them didn’t vote in the last election, with 71% saying they don’t feel that political parties speak directly enough to them in the run up to elections.

This age divide is one of the reasons why The Body Shop is collaborating with the United Nations on its Be Seen Be Heard campaign to uplift the voices of young people in politics around the world, as well as developing a joint manifesto with the British Youth Council to lower the voting age to 16 in the UK.

Alice Mazzola is the head of activism at The Body Shop and works with teams in more than 75 countries to campaign on social and environmental justice issues. She explains to Stylist that half of the world’s population is under 30, yet only 2.6% of parliamentarians around the world are under 30. A figure that only reduces when gender is factored in – less than 1% are young women.

And with two major elections coming up next year, in the US and the UK, Mazzola says we must urgently make space in our political system for young people, as candidates and as voters.

“We need to create an environment where these voices can thrive; removing the legal, social and cultural barriers that exclude them. We must dispel myths surrounding Gen Z that they are disengaged, irresponsible or do not have the experience to create real impact. Just look at Keir Mather, the youngest MP in the House of Commons at 25 years old.”

It’s why Mazzola and The Body Shop are continuing to work on this campaign to bring about “long term systemic change” such as lowering the voting age, removing complex voter ID rules and making voter and political education more accessible.

“At The Body Shop, our Youth Collective of under 30s have come up with solutions and alternative approaches that our board would never have considered without them. With their unique experiences, innovative thinking and aspirations for a fairer world, young people are essential in paving the way for a better future. We think it’s the world that needs a youthful glow.”

Images: Getty; The Body Shop