Votes at 16: Amplifying the Voices of Britain’s Diverse Youth

The Government’s decision to lower the voting age to 16 is a welcome step towards strengthening democracy and ensuring young people’s voices are heard. Younger generations, including a significant number of British Muslims, are highly engaged with issues shaping their futures and are increasingly open about their faith and values. This is an opportunity to build a political system that genuinely responds to the lived experiences and aspirations of today’s youth.

During my time in the charity sector, supporting Barnardo’s leadership team, I saw the importance of listening closely to the voices and experiences of young people across the country. Their passion, determination and insight challenge us to think differently. Young people are not simply the adults of tomorrow. Many are already active citizens, deeply engaged with the big issues we face, from climate justice and social cohesion, to building a fairer society. Lowering the voting age will recognise and value these contributions, allowing their thoughts and aspirations to help shape the Britain they will inherit.

For context, if this historic initiative, announced by the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, and the Minister for Democracy, Rushanara Ali, had been in place before the last General Election, 1.5 million additional young voters would have been able to vote (2021 census data). Many of them will now be working young adults, who did not have a say at the time. Equi calculates that around 142,000 of these, or 10 per cent of 16 to 18-year-olds, are young British Muslims, highlighting the growing diversity of the UK’s youth. These numbers should matter to policymakers.

From a young age, many young people from minority and left-behind backgrounds find themselves uniquely attuned to politics, shaped by the challenges and opportunities that often arise from the extremes of being overlooked in public debates at times and placed under the spotlight at others. I remember being politically and socially aware at 16, having already spent years volunteering for charities and causes I believed in and completing my GCSE work experience in the House of Lords. But I was just one of countless young people wanting to make the most of the opportunities our vibrant society has to offer and to make a difference for our communities.

Young people’s perspectives have too often been missed from political decision making. This is especially true for young British Muslims, as well as young people of all faith backgrounds more broadly. YouGov data shows a sharp increase in religious belief among 18 to 24-year-olds in the UK, with those believing in God rising from 16% in 2021 to 45% in 2025. While this is a slightly older group, the trend is clear: younger generations are often becoming more faith oriented. To engage with this shift, our politics must become more faith literate and responsive to the fact that many young people are values-driven and already deeply involved in the issues and debates that shape our society. Policies that are responsive to the everyday experiences of Britain’s communities are far more likely to succeed in building a stronger, more prosperous and more cohesive society.

However, granting voting rights to young people alone is not enough. The government must work closely with schools, youth charities and community organisations, including the faith and belief sector, to embed comprehensive political literacy in our core education curriculum. This should include strengthening and expanding existing digital skills programmes, so young people are equipped to identify misinformation. Instilling young voters with a strong understanding of how our political systems work, along with their rights and civic responsibilities, will ensure they can participate confidently and meaningfully in our democracy, whilst also protecting them against the growing risks of misinformation, both online and offline.

Public policy needs to embrace the real experiences and aspirations of Britain’s diverse communities, in a way that benefits all society. It is important that government and its arms-length bodies engage, listen and respond to young people, especially those from communities that are too often left out of the national conversation. This week’s announcement is a positive step in the right direction and an opportunity for us, as a nation, to build a democracy that genuinely values every citizen’s voice.

Amaan Qureshi is Chief Operating Officer at Equi.

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