A sign reads, 'general election 2024', with the Elizabeth Tower visible in the background

Half of us: Turnout patterns at the 2024 general election

Article

One-half of adults in this country voted at the 2024 general election, the lowest share of the population to vote since universal suffrage.

This report takes a first look at who spoke in the 2024 UK general election. By linking election turnout results to demographic data from the 2021 census, we document patterns of turnout by age distribution, housing tenure, ethnic background and religion at the constituency level.

We consider the implications this might have on policy and politics in the years ahead and put forward policy recommendations to improve electoral participation.

You might also like ...

  1. Graphic depicting a stack of pound coins in the background and one sideways pound coin displayed on its side in the foreground

    The full-speed economy: Does running a hotter economy benefit workers?

    How a slightly hotter economy might be able to boost future growth.
  2. The outside of Rochdale town hall on a sunny day, with flowers in the foreground

    Making the most of it: Unitarisation, hyperlocal democratic renewal and community empowerment

    Local government reorganisation need not result in a weakening of democracy at the local level.
  3. West Midlands Metro Tram at Victoria Square in Birmingham city centre during 2022 Commonwealth Games

    Transport and growth: Reforming transport investment for place-based growth

    The ability to deliver transformative public transport is not constrained by a lack of ideas, public support or local ambition. It is constrained by the way decisions are taken at the national level.