British teenagers are more patriotic about the United Kingdom than their parents, potentially spelling more political trouble for the left-wing Labour government, which gave the right to vote to 16 and 17-year-olds in the next general election.
A survey conducted by the More in Common polling firm for London’s Sunday Times has found that 49 per cent of 16 and 17-year-olds are proud of their British identity, compared to just 10 per cent who said that they were ashamed.
This compares to 45 per cent of the country as a whole being patriotic and 15 per cent feeling shame over their identity, meaning that teenagers are significantly more patriotic than their parents.
As is becoming increasingly typical in Western politics, the survey did find a striking disparity between young men and women. According to the poll, just 39 per cent of 16 and 17-year-old girls said that they were proud to be British, while 57 per cent of boys expressed patriotic sentiments.
A similar spread was found in terms of who would sign up to defend the country in the event of a war, with 32 per cent of boys saying they would be willing and 47 per cent against, compared to 15 per cent of girls and 64 per cent against.
Nevertheless, the rising level of patriotism within the younger generation also appears to have coincided with a growing concern about mass migration, with the survey finding that 44 per cent of 16 and 17-year-olds saying that the government has not focused enough on the illegal boat migrant crisis in the English Channel, compared to 26 per cent saying there has been too much focus.
While Labour may have hoped to increase its vote share by allowing teens to vote in the next general election, the findings may serve as a boon to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which has vowed to detain and deport all illegal migrants and which has consistently pitched itself as a patriotic party proud of Britain’s history.
The Farage party has also actively courted the youth vote, with the Brexit boss cultivating large followings on social media apps like Tik Tok and the party offering discounted membership for people under the age of 25.
According to a separate poll for the Sunday Times published last week, Reform is roughly on par with the Labour Party among 16 and 17-year-olds, at 23 and 24 per cent respectively, when former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s new far-left party is included, effectively splitting the left vote by grabbing 21 per cent of the age group.
Commenting on the rising patriotism among the British youth, director of More in Common, Luke Tryl, said: “Much of this research shows how different the next generation of adults’ experience of childhood has been. Today’s young Britons have come of age through a decade of political turmoil, a pandemic, and a cost-of-living crisis. It’s no surprise they feel like a distinct generation, with different politics and shifting values.
“Despite the common belief that patriotism is fading among young people, 16 and 17-year-olds are even more likely than adults to feel proud of being British. Their pride is clearly less tied to traditional institutions like the royal family, but it is still strong, and possibly growing.”
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