A report by a joint committee of MPs and peers said that the government should introduce a Bill at the start of the 2014-15 session, to give all prisoners serving sentences of 12 months or less the right to vote in all United Kingdom parliamentary, local and European elections.
Source: Draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill, Report (Session 2013–14), HC 924 and HL 103, Joint Select Committee on the Draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill, TSO
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Dec
An article examined young people's participation in decisions that affected them, drawing on three research and evaluation projects that were undertaken in partnership with young people as researchers.
Source: Jennie Fleming, 'Young people's participation – where next?', Children & Society, Volume 27 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Dec
The elections watchdog said that the wording of the question for the referendum on membership of the European Union, as proposed in the European Union (Referendum) Bill, should be amended to improve clarity and understanding. The Commission had not been able to identify a single preferred alternative question wording, but said that wordings using 'Yes' and 'No' as response options would not resolve the complex issues raised during their inquiry. Any amendment to response options would require further examination by the commission.
Source: Referendum on the United Kingdom s Membership of the European Union: Advice of the Electoral Commission on the referendum question included in the European Union (Referendum) Bill, Electoral Commission
Links: Report | Research paper | Electoral Commission press release
Date: 2013-Nov
A report examined trust in national and European political institutions, and levels of civic engagement during the economic crisis. It said that, in most countries, trust in both national and European political institutions had eroded substantially. Rates of traditional forms of participation had decreased, although new online forms of political expression had emerged.
Source: Political Trust and Civic Engagement During the Crisis, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Links: Report | Eurofound press release
Date: 2013-Nov
A new book examined the diverse forms of political engagement in which minority-ethnic and Muslim young people engaged. It identified 'new grammars of action' among minority-ethnic young people that helped to explain their disaffection with mainstream politics.
Source: Therese O'Toole and Richard Gale, Political Engagement amongst Ethnic Minority Young People: Making a difference, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined the political participation of young people in national democracies in 15 European Union member states. Social inequalities of participation were (with the major exception of voting) found to be much less profound for young people than for other groups.
Source: James Sloam, '"Voice and equality": young people s politics in the European Union', West European Politics, Volume 36 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jun
An article examined the relationship between political trust and political participation in European countries. Although political trust was found to be positively associated with institutionalized participation, it was negatively associated with non-institutionalized participation. Moreover, the effect of political trust on institutionalized participation was dependent on self-confidence about people's ability to understand politics.
Source: Marc Hooghe and Sofie Marien, 'A comparative analysis of the relation between political trust and forms of political participation in Europe', European Societies, Volume 15 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb