Young 'not learning how to vote'

People are losing a 'sense of duty' to voting, the commission says

A generation of young adults is not learning the habit of voting, a report from the Electoral Commission says.

The overall turnout in May's general election was 61.4%, up slightly on 2001, but the third lowest since 1847.

But a poll of 10,986 adults for the commission found that for 18 to 24-year-olds the figure had fallen from 39% to 37% during the last four years.

For those over 65 this year it was 75%. A commission spokeswoman said the young were losing a "sense of duty" to vote.

They were "active" and "interested" in issues but "disillusioned" with Westminster politics, she added.

The report - Election 2005: Turnout, How Many, Who and Why? - said there was a "neighbourhood" effect, with turnout lower in urban areas and among socially deprived groups.

Commission chairman Sam Younger said politics risked "losing that generation for good".

The research was carried out by the polling company Mori.