Lessons from the student vote in UK election for the EU referendum

Students did not hold as much sway in the 2015 UK general election as was predicted, according to a new report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) think tank published in October 2015. It argued that while the student vote was still important, it was swallowed up by wider national swings – towards the Conservatives and away from the Liberal Democrats.

While changes to the electoral registration for students did not have as negative an impact as some feared on voter turnout, HEPI warned that there were still challenges ahead for campaigners looking to get young people to vote in the upcoming EU referendum and the London mayoral race.

• Primary Source

ESO: In Focus: Brexit - The United Kingdom and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/

HEPI: Press Release, 15.10.15: Students kicked Clegg and backed Miliband but it made little difference – and it might not help Corbyn much either http://www.hepi.ac.uk/2015/10/15/students-kicked-clegg-backed-miliband-made-little-difference-might-not-help-corbyn-much-either/

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