Change is coming
Traditionally, by which is—in this context—meant during the past fifty years or so, voting behaviour changes over the life course of a person. More often than not, being young meant less interest in voting—with the exception of the very first vote at age 18, resulting in a characteristic dip resembling a tick—and generally voting became again less relevant at old age.
But no more… – graphics and explanation follow below.
The first graph illustrates a typical age distribution of voter turnout:
Source: Prof. Dieter Roth | 2009 at the Choiceless Seminar
Interestingly—some people might be tempted to say alarmingly—this distribution is changing drastically. The percentage of young people not voting at early age is increasing remarkably throughout Europe, and the argument is not too farfetched that this tendency will later grow through the age pyramid less weakened. In other words: the higher percentage of early nonvoters suggests that less people will become dutiful voters later on in their lifes.
The second graph illustrates the blatant discrepancy between nonvoters across age-groups:
Source: PD Dr. Dorothée de Nève | 2009 at the Choiceless Seminar