Are People More Inclined to Vote at 16 than at 18? Evidence for the First-Time Voting Boost Among 16- to 25-Year-Olds in Austria

2014/01/08 by Eva Zeglovits, Julian Aichholzer · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #Gender Politics and Representation #Fiscal Policies and Political Economy

paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/17457289.2013.872652

openalex publication_date 2014/01/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23

Abstract

Potential consequences of lowering voting age to 16 have been discussed in recent scientific and public debates. This article examines turnout of young voters aged 16 to 17 in Austria, the first European country that lowered the general voting age to 16. For this purpose we use unique data taken from electoral lists of two recent Austrian regional elections. The results support the idea that the so-called "first-time voting boost" is even stronger among the youngest voters as turnout was (a) higher compared to 18- to 20-year-old first-time voters and (b) not substantially lower than the average turnout rate. We conclude that our findings are encouraging for the idea of lowering voting age as a means to establish higher turnout rates in the future.

Citations

• Social desirability bias in voter turnout reports: Tests using the item count technique
• Voting May Be Habit‐Forming: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment

Cited by

• Youth suffrage [wikipedia]

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