While Millennials tend to date along party lines – including some who proudly endorse a ‘never kiss a Tory’ approach – Gen Z are a little more forgiving about which way you lean.
Something the younger generation of voters can’t abide by, though, is a date who doesn’t know their polling station from their postal vote.
When it comes to 18 to 24-year-olds, failure to stand up and be counted at the ballot box is a major ‘ick’, at least according to new research by Just Vote and Saatchi & Saatchi.
In a YouGov survey of over 4,000 Brits, 40% of Gen Z respondents claimed they find regular voters more attractive as potential partners.
Meanwhile, more than half thought voting made you more intelligent, while 35% thought voters were more trustworthy.
When asked about dating behaviours more specifically, more than 20% who took part said non-voters were more likely to be rude to a waiter or spend a first date talking about themselves.
The flack keeps coming too: 18% felt that non-voters would be more likely to ghost them, and 17% said they’d be less likely to take care of the bill on a date.
These stats were bolstered by Bumble’s findings that participation was important to its users, as the dating app revealed that a quarter believed actively engaging with politics was vital for those choosing a partner. It’s even more key for women on the platform, with a third saying that not being aware of current societal issues was a turn-off.
Sign up to The Hook-Up, Metro’s sex and dating newsletter
Love reading juicy stories like this? Need some tips for how to spice things up in the bedroom?
Sign up to The Hook-Up and we’ll slide into your inbox every week with all the latest sex and dating stories from Metro. We can’t wait for you to join us!
Ahead of a UK General Election on July 4, Just Vote is aiming to raise youth turnout, which has historically been lower than within other demographics – and what better way to do so than highlighting the potential impact abstaining could have on their love lives.
Dale Vince, CEO of Ecotricity and founder of Just Vote, commented: ‘It is shocking that 1 in 3 British 18-34 year olds aren’t registered to vote. This disenfranchisement of young people is out of step with the passion I’ve seen demonstrated in the streets and on social media when it comes to Gen Z’s engagement with issues like the climate crisis.’
However, there are other issues at play for many who choose not to vote. A different survey showed more than half of non-voters were avoiding the ballot this time around because they don’t have faith in our elected representatives.
The next biggest reason given was ‘because whoever wins won’t make a difference to me’ on 36%, followed by ‘because no party represents my views’ on 20%.
Given the result in previous General Elections has largely been in opposition to the way young people voted, it’s perhaps understandable there’s a sense of apathy.
But as Richard Huntington, chair and chief strategy officer at Saatchi & Saatchi says: ‘If the younger generation continue to exclude themselves from the democratic process, this pessimism becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.’
And since it’ll stop your dates thinking you’re ignorant and unattractive, you might as well.
Register to vote
To be eligible to vote in the General Election on July 4, you need to submityour registration by midnight on Tuesday June 18.
You can apply online, and will be asked for your National Insurance number (although you can still register if you do not have one). From there, your name and address will appear on the electoral roll, and you’ll only need to register again if you change your name, address or nationality.
If you’re planning on voting in person, you’ll have to show ID at the polling station, but if you don’t have an eligible document you can apply for free Voter Authority Certificate online by 5pm on June 26.
The Electoral Commission provides information about registering to vote, which you can find on their website or by contacting them at 0333 103 1928. The independent body advises: ‘During the General Election period we will be experiencing very high levels of contact, and therefore it may take us longer than usual to respond to your query.’
MORE : I couldn’t believe it when my immigrant dad said he was backing Reform UK
MORE : Nigel Farage says ‘jump’ and too many politicians reply ‘how high?’
MORE : Nigel Farage urges voters to send him to Parliament ‘to be a bloody nuisance’
Sign up to our guide to what’s on in London, trusted reviews, brilliant offers and competitions. London’s best bits in your inbox
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.