New tool seeks to get youth involved in the election by focusing on issues

Wellington, NZ, August 25, 2017 – Nonpartisan group RockEnrol have launched a new online poll to help engage youth in this year’s general election by focusing on issues facing Aotearoa. The results of the poll - aimed at those under 30 - will be released to the public one week out from the election.

Young people are encouraged to pick the most important thing New Zealand should do, such as “ensure everyone has a warm and dry home” or “build more roads, highways and infrastructure”. They also select their preference for Prime Minister from the leaders of all the political parties, alongside UK Prime Minister Theresa May, US 2016 Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, or singer Beyoncé.

“An important aim of the poll is to get young people to think about the issues that matter to them away from party politics.” says 16-year-old spokesperson for RockEnrol Archie Buissink. “Unlike other election tools, the parties are not mentioned aside from the question regarding their preferred Prime Minister.”

Studies show that people are more likely to vote when it is about issues important to them. “Over in Australia, 54 545 additional people registered to vote from August 8 – 22 because of the marriage postal survey,” says Buissink. “This just shows how many more people engage in an election if it is focused on an issue they care about.”

The survey is also useful for RockEnrol to ensure that young people vote in the general election. Young people are asked to share their email address and/or phone number with RockEnrol and will be contacted by volunteers to ensure they are registered and have a plan to vote on September 23.

Buissink also hopes that political parties and other campaign groups will be able to use the survey results to address the concerns of young people better. He says “After completing the survey, you can see graphs showing what matters most to young New Zealanders. Our hope is that political parties will build these priorities into their policy platforms to demonstrate they are listening to the concerns of young voters. That is how we get more young people out to vote.”

See the tool: poll.rockenrol.org.nz

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