Young v Old Voters
In the 2019 Federal Election, the majority of younger Australians, aged 18-24 voted for Labor. While the majority of middle-aged and older Australians voted for the Liberals.
The 18-24yo vote was neck and neck between Labor and the Greens. Between the ages of 25-34, the Liberals captures more of the vote from Labor and the Greens, and then continue to hold the majority from 35+. The biggest Liberal majority is amongst the 65+.
For older voters (55+), the Liberal vote has remained relatively steady around 50%. The lowest Liberal vote in the last 3 decades was in 1987, during the Hawk v Howard election. The vote for the Liberals also dipped during the Rudd v Howard election.
Since the Greens were formed in 1992, young voters (18-34) have increasingly given their vote to the Greens. The 2019 election Shorten v Morrison was the highest Greens vote, and lowest Liberals vote in 3 decades.
It is clear that
young people are moving further left
while older people are moving further right.
Understanding the impact of an Ageing Population
Young people (18-34) hav 30+% of the vote in 30% of electoral divisions.
The highest proportion of young voters are in Melbourne and Brisbane.
Australia's ageing population means that elderly people (70+) have a significant
proportion of the vote.