Questionnaire co-created by Gen-Z Islanders to gather views on voting is released

Researchers from University College London have released a questionnaire to gather the views of Gen-Z Islanders as part of a project to better understand their perceptions of voting.

The questions have been co-created by young people from Jersey who took part in two focus groups held in December 2024. Participants will be asked for their views in areas such as their voting mindset, the influence of social media and their exposure to politics in education.

Anyone in Jersey aged between 18 and 24 years old and who is eligible to vote is encouraged to complete the questionnaire before the 10 March 2025. It should take no longer than 5 minutes to complete and can be found on the Vote.je social media pages and website. Those who complete the questionnaire can enter a prize draw for the chance to win one of two £100 local vouchers.

The results will be used to understand the perceptions and attitudes young people have towards voting and provide recommendations to improve youth voter turnout for the 2026 election and beyond.

Researcher, Hazel Stutz, said: ‘Only 17% of 16–34-year-olds voted in Jersey’s last elections to the States Assembly in 2022, compared with 53% of Islanders over the age of 65. This project aims to investigate why that might be and recommend ways to improve that figure for future elections. Getting the views of young Islanders is vital in understanding how they currently perceive voting and what may be preventing them from doing so, in order to suggest improvements.’

Jenny O’Brien, Head of Digital and Public Engagement, said: ‘It’s essential that we understand the perspectives and experiences of young Islanders in order to better engage them as we look to the next election in 2026. We’re excited to support this research project and look forward to seeing what recommendations are made that can help inform our work and, in turn, empower Jersey’s next generation of voters.’