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A coming of age: how and why the UK became the first democracy to allow votes for 18-year-olds

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

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A coming of age: how and why the UK became the first democracy to allow votes for 18-year-olds. / Loughran, Thomas; Mycock, Andrew; Tonge, Jonathan.
In: Contemporary British History, Vol. 35, No. 2, 03.04.2021, p. 284-313.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Loughran, T, Mycock, A & Tonge, J 2021, 'A coming of age: how and why the UK became the first democracy to allow votes for 18-year-olds', Contemporary British History, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 284-313. https://doi.org/10.1080/13619462.2021.1890589

APA

Loughran, T., Mycock, A., & Tonge, J. (2021). A coming of age: how and why the UK became the first democracy to allow votes for 18-year-olds. Contemporary British History, 35(2), 284-313. https://doi.org/10.1080/13619462.2021.1890589

Vancouver

Loughran T, Mycock A, Tonge J. A coming of age: how and why the UK became the first democracy to allow votes for 18-year-olds. Contemporary British History. 2021 Apr 3;35(2):284-313. Epub 2021 Feb 25. doi: 10.1080/13619462.2021.1890589

Author

Loughran, Thomas ; Mycock, Andrew ; Tonge, Jonathan. / A coming of age : how and why the UK became the first democracy to allow votes for 18-year-olds. In: Contemporary British History. 2021 ; Vol. 35, No. 2. pp. 284-313.

Bibtex

@article{c0dcd4b18f044bc0a775e8cbf4b565cd,
title = "A coming of age: how and why the UK became the first democracy to allow votes for 18-year-olds",
abstract = "In 1969, the UK became the first country to lower its age of franchise to 18. Most other democracies soon followed. This article provides the first detailed examination of the debates and processes which contributed to the UK{\textquoteright}s pioneering reform of the age of enfranchisement. It explores parliamentary and press debates during the 1960s, arguing that lowering the voting age to 18 was not in response to popular mobilisation by the public or pressure groups, nor the outcome of significant political contestation. Rather, voting age reform was a consequence of the desire of political leaders to align the voting age with what society increasingly perceived as the new age of adulthood, 18. Lowering the voting age was part of package of reforms which attempted to streamline the age at which young people were seen to become adults.",
author = "Thomas Loughran and Andrew Mycock and Jonathan Tonge",
year = "2021",
month = apr,
day = "3",
doi = "10.1080/13619462.2021.1890589",
language = "English",
volume = "35",
pages = "284--313",
journal = "Contemporary British History",
issn = "1361-9462",
publisher = "Routledge",
number = "2",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - A coming of age

T2 - how and why the UK became the first democracy to allow votes for 18-year-olds

AU - Loughran, Thomas

AU - Mycock, Andrew

AU - Tonge, Jonathan

PY - 2021/4/3

Y1 - 2021/4/3

N2 - In 1969, the UK became the first country to lower its age of franchise to 18. Most other democracies soon followed. This article provides the first detailed examination of the debates and processes which contributed to the UK’s pioneering reform of the age of enfranchisement. It explores parliamentary and press debates during the 1960s, arguing that lowering the voting age to 18 was not in response to popular mobilisation by the public or pressure groups, nor the outcome of significant political contestation. Rather, voting age reform was a consequence of the desire of political leaders to align the voting age with what society increasingly perceived as the new age of adulthood, 18. Lowering the voting age was part of package of reforms which attempted to streamline the age at which young people were seen to become adults.

AB - In 1969, the UK became the first country to lower its age of franchise to 18. Most other democracies soon followed. This article provides the first detailed examination of the debates and processes which contributed to the UK’s pioneering reform of the age of enfranchisement. It explores parliamentary and press debates during the 1960s, arguing that lowering the voting age to 18 was not in response to popular mobilisation by the public or pressure groups, nor the outcome of significant political contestation. Rather, voting age reform was a consequence of the desire of political leaders to align the voting age with what society increasingly perceived as the new age of adulthood, 18. Lowering the voting age was part of package of reforms which attempted to streamline the age at which young people were seen to become adults.

UR - https://pure.hud.ac.uk/en/publications/b67d9bfd-d644-4b4f-94be-b8442aacb880

U2 - 10.1080/13619462.2021.1890589

DO - 10.1080/13619462.2021.1890589

M3 - Journal article

VL - 35

SP - 284

EP - 313

JO - Contemporary British History

JF - Contemporary British History

SN - 1361-9462

IS - 2

ER -