New UK Politics research finds that the young feel much better represented by Labour, but the retired are less sure about the Conservatives

Research into the growing age gap in British voting behaviours has revealed an asymmetric age divide, with retired voters feeling markedly less well represented overall, compared to any other social group. Young people, at the other end of their voting life, feel comparatively well represented by Labour, however not well represented by the Conservatives.

Dr Zack Grant, Professor Jane Green and Professor Geoffrey Evans have published key findings from their British Academy funded research project, Are Generations Selfish? How can policy makers bridge the age divide in British politics, on the British Election Study website. Their data comes from the May 2022 British Election Study (BES), in which a representative sample of British adults were asked how they thought different political parties look after the interests of various groups including young and retired people, men and women, and people from various working or ethnic backgrounds.

Results show a very strong relationship between thinking a party represents one’s own age cohort better and supporting that party at the voting booths. Grant, Green and Evans observed that a retired person who thinks the Conservatives best look after their group is 71 percentage points more likely to vote for that party than Labour. Labour are similarly dominant among under-30s who think that they best look after the youth. 

In conclusion, the authors identify a potential problem for the Conservatives: “While Labour can rely on 75% of young adults clearly identifying them as the party for the young, only 22% of retired respondents are similarly sure that the Conservatives best represent their own group. 

“This does suggest a potential asymmetry. While more retired people have been voting Conservative, they are not convinced that the party is clearly best placed to represent them as a group,” they write.