Facebook: Twice as many 18-year-olds signed up as are registered to vote

December 30th, 2011

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

More than one million signed up to social networking site compared with 520,000 on the electoral role

By
Rebecca Evans

Last updated at 10:40 PM on 29th December 2011

Facebook users are swift to log on to the social network to vent their spleen and put the world to rights when an issue captures their imagination.

But for a significant proportion of younger users at least, the enthusiasm for having their say does not translate into voting to change things in the real world.

Officials expressed concern yesterday after figures revealed that Facebook has 1.08million 18-year-old users in Britain, compared with just over half a million who have reached voting age in the past year and registered on the electoral roll.

There are more than a million 18-year-olds in the UK signed up to Facebook

In Britain, more than 30million people – almost half the population – log on to Facebook each month. This is more than the 29.7million who voted in the May 2010 general election.

Samantha Mills, head of campaigns at the Electoral Commission, said: ‘Our own research, published earlier this month, showed that only 56 per cent of 19- to 24-year-olds and 55 per cent of 17- and 18-year-olds are on the electoral register.

‘The low voter registration rate among young people is very concerning.

‘Each year the Electoral Commission runs public awareness campaigns to encourage people to register.

‘Young people are an important group to target, which is why social media has become an increasingly important platform for these campaigns.’ The latest study, carried out by the credit information company Experian, was of electoral rolls from the 460 local authorities across the UK. It found that out of the 47.4million registered voters, 520,000 were newly registered.

Jonathan Westley, the company’s managing director, said the findings highlighted the need for social media to be used to engage teenagers.

He added: ‘It’s intriguing to compare how many people registered to vote when they turned 18 in 2011 to the number of 18-year-olds using Facebook.

As well as giving them the vote, the electoral role is used by banks and other companies when performing credit checks

As well as registering a person to vote, the electoral role is used by banks and other companies when performing credit checks

‘It simply underlines why it’s important that organisations adopt new technologies to better serve this section of the population. It is also vital to educate this demographic on the importance of registering to vote and explore how social media engagement could be part of this.’

Registering on the electoral roll means you are eligible to vote in both local and national elections, as well as in referendums.

It is also used by banks and other lenders as a credit check, so can increase chances of obtaining loans, credit cards or other finance.

A recent report by the Electoral Commission also found that the number of Britons who have not registered to vote has almost trebled in the past decade.

Waste of time: Emma Boon said many staff appear to spend their time on the internet looking at sites that have nothing to do with their jobs

A study in April found 8.5million were not registered, compared with 3.9million in 2000.

Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004 while he was a student at Harvard University.

Such has been his company’s success, with a global membership of 800million users, that the 27-year-old has a fortune of £11billion, making him one of the youngest billionaires in the world.

A Facebook spokesman would not comment on the study.

Meanwhile, it emerged yesterday that workers at an Oxfordshire council have been logging on to Facebook more than their own website.

The Vale of White Horse District Council’s 164 workers logged on to the social-networking site 450,555 times in three months, compared with 313,068 visits to the council’s site, according to figures obtained under a Freedom of Information request.

Emma Boon, campaign director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘It looks like staff have spent a lot of time surfing websites that have little or nothing to do with their jobs.

‘Social networking only needs to be part of one or two employees’ roles in the council. This suggests some are spending more than just break times on the site.’

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

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Proud to have rejected and deleted 17 fb invitations. Have never, and will never use it…………… Having watched plenty of it’s use, you seem to require a labotomy and a propensity to tell everything, no matter how trivial, inane, or just plain stupid to everyone else for no other reason than to garner ‘likes’, as though they actually mean anything…..

– Gary Shaw, Yorkshire, 29/12/2011 20:28

It’s sad that so many people on here are stating – no-one told me how to go and sign up to vote whereas it’s easy to sign up for Facebook.
Wellshock horror no-one told me how to sign up to vote I justy looked into it and went along and did it.
It’s a sad reflection on most of today’s youth that they are too lazy to do something important such as voting but are quite happy to waste hours on rubbish like Facebook .
Then the saddos try to justify it.

– Ian, Darlington, 29/12/2011 20:25

Really the age of voting should be raised to give young people the chance to have an informed vote. So young they really have not enough knowledge of life to be put in such a position. They should be allowed to enjoy things like Facebook without more worldly problems thrust at them. Enough time to worry about politics when they are older.

– Pam, W. Yorkshire, 29/12/2011 20:24

Can’t say I blame ’em. Our democracy is a farce. Doesn’t matter who you vote for the British government always gets in and the British government is ALWAYS anti-English.

Time to replace the UK parliament with direct democracy. When people can actually vote on the issues rather than on which middleman will ignore them then they’ll start to take an interest.

– Alfred Wyrd, England, 29/12/2011 20:09

I’m in my 50s and am blowed if I know who to vote for, as both main parties have either ruined or are ruining this once great country of ours and the 3td party won’t be any better!

– WML, Stroud, Glos. UK, 29/12/2011 20:07

Because your vote in the ‘real world’ is a complete waste of time. Politicians are corrupt and only self-interested and go into it knowing there’s a gravy train to be boarded. At least on FB you can chat to people who communicate with you more than once every five years…

– Legs O’Hagan, Albion, 29/12/2011 20:07

I turned 18 in November, I would love to vote however from when I looked into it it seems too much hassle. You should at least send forms or a letter to people who turn 18 with instructions.

– Connor, England, 29/12/2011 19:55

I’m 19 now and have no idea how to register to vote. I could easily google it, sure, but nobody has EVER tried to advertise doing so to me, as if nobody seems to care whether or not I were to sign up or not.
Facebook is easy to do and everyone knows about it. Just one of the many problems here.

– Sam True, Dunstable, 29/12/2011 19:45

MP’s try to engage on Facebook…look at Louise Mensch she added 5000 friends and found that many were trolling her, so she isn’t reaching out at all just massaging her ego like a true politician. Facebook users are too smart and don’t just accept drivel. The comments here show most have more of a grip on how it works than out dated out moded journalists.

– Google Dr G. Aspar, Somerset, UK, 29/12/2011 19:36

The electoral system does not work. It is biased in favour of the big three who are all basically the same. There is no choice and no way of changing it. The big 3 like it as it is. We need proportional representation so that everyone’s voice is heard. The Occupy movement is the only hope for the future.

– Brian Dixon, Leeds, 29/12/2011 19:32

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