Bucking global trends, polls find young voter support higher for National and right coalition than Labour as election nears<\/p>\n
When New Zealand\u2019s Labour party was elected in 2017, commentators heralded the \u201cyouthquake\u201d. Jacinda Ardern had brought a dose of progressive energy and charisma to New Zealand politics \u2013 as well as a youthful face for Labour, and promises of transformative change. When the results rolled in, voter turnout was up across the board \u2013 but the biggest increases were among younger voters: turnout rose<\/a> by 6.5% for 18- to 24-year-olds, and 5.5% among people aged 25-29.<\/p>\n Now, New Zealand could be seeing evidence of a move in the opposite direction, with indications that leftwing support among young people could be sinking \u2013 a result which, if it holds, would buck international trends. Polling released this week in the inaugural Guardian Essential<\/a> poll found that among New Zealand\u2019s 18- to 34-year-olds, just 20% were voting for Labour, the major centre-left party, compared with almost 40% supporting the centre-right National party. Support was not being distributed further left \u2013 the Labour-Greens coalition accounted for 34% of millennial votes, compared with a National-Act coalition sitting at close to 50%.<\/p>\n