18-year-olds are twice as likely to be on Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook as on the electoral roll, research reveals
It comes as figures show a slump in the number of electoral roll registrations by more than six per cent year on year
TEENS turning 18 are twice as likely to be on Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook than they are the electoral roll to vote, a worrying study shows today.
It comes as figures show a slump in the number of electoral roll registrations by more than six per cent year on year.
Only 374,515 youngsters joined the list for 2017 - down from 391,978 the previous year. But there are more than 895, 000 18-year-olds registered on the photo sharing social media site Instagram.
And more than 1million 18-year-olds are on YouTube, with 991,663 on Facebook and 891,145 on Snapchat. But experts warned youngsters could be losing out on lower insurance premiums and poor credit scores for loans, credit cards and mortgages if they were not on the electoral roll.
Experian’s head of consumer affairs James Jones said: “For many young people, getting onto the electoral roll may not seem like a priority but they may not realise that by not registering they stand to miss out on much more than their voting rights.”
“A wide range of organisations including banks and lenders use the electoral roll to help verify a customer’s identity and, in some cases, creditworthiness.
MOST READ IN POLITICS
“As a result, failure to register to vote can make it harder for people to access lots of services including competitive rates on loans, credit cards and mortgages.
“Young people should view registering to vote as a first step to establishing their credit history, which is a key part of the information lenders use to grant credit responsibly.”
Despite the youth slump, figures for registered voters overall have topped 47 million for the first time - a 0.69 per cent rise on the previous annual canvass.