This document discusses Generation Y voters and their potential influence on the 2010 UK general election. Younger voters have become less engaged over time, with fewer voting in recent elections. However, social media has grown in importance and groups supporting different parties have large followings online. The document also notes that voter registration among 18-24 year olds surged in response to campaigns on Facebook. Overall, younger voters appear disenchanted with Labour and open to supporting other parties like the Liberal Democrats.

1. #GE2010 #GENY Gen Y voter stats for GE2010 Just how influential are we? Obama won with us Can anyone without? Who will win our loyalty?

2. Apathy? Only 4% voters had been on a political party’s website during the 2005 election. In the 2001 election, 46% 18-24 year-olds voted; in 2005 only 37% voted. More people voted on the 2009 series of The X-Factor (10m) than voted for Labour in the 2005 election (9.6m). #GE2010 #GENY www.nakedgenerations.comProtected by Copyright © 2010 Naked Generations Limited. All Rights Reserved. Slide 2

3. Sorry Gord... Gordon Brown admitted recently that he had invited Simon Cowell to help with the national policy form. …however, the X-Factor judge was too busy. Slide 3 #GE2010 #GENY www.nakedgenerations.comProtected by Copyright © 2010 Naked Generations Limited. All Rights Reserved.

4. The Social Media Factor Will social media, like Facebook and Twitter make a difference this time round? This kind of question was unthinkable in the 2005 election (even though Facebook had been around for a year). Slide 4 #GE2010 #GENY www.nakedgenerations.comProtected by Copyright © 2010 Naked Generations Limited. All Rights Reserved.

5. The Social Media Factor There were 154,342 tweets amongst 33,000 people on the third leaders’ debate. The Conservatives 80,700 have fans on Facebook; Liberal Democrats have 81,260 fans; Labour trails at 36, 350 fans. Slide 5 #GE2010 #GENY www.nakedgenerations.comProtected by Copyright © 2010 Naked Generations Limited. All Rights Reserved.

6. LiberallY Facebook is particularly galvanising Lib dem supporters. In a recent Facebook poll, in which nearly half a million people voted, 42% want Nick Clegg as PM, as compared with David Cameron (31%) and Gordon Brown (27%). The group ‘We got Rage Against the Machine to #1, we can get the Lib Dems into office!’ has 164,000 fans. Slide 6 #GE2010 #GENY www.nakedgenerations.comProtected by Copyright © 2010 Naked Generations Limited. All Rights Reserved.

7. Action? Facebook launched a campaign to galvanise the 18-24 age bracket into voting, but did it work? Will Generation Y be turning up to vote in the general election? Slide 7 #GE2010 #GENY www.nakedgenerations.comProtected by Copyright © 2010 Naked Generations Limited. All Rights Reserved.

8. Galvanised The Electoral Commission has said that those expressing an interest in registering were disproportionately in the youngest age bracket of 18-24. 40% of visitors to the registration form website were 18-24! Slide 8 #GE2010 #GENY www.nakedgenerations.comProtected by Copyright © 2010 Naked Generations Limited. All Rights Reserved.

9. Student Power The NUS has launched a campaign to stop the rise in tuition fees, gaining the support of 200 Labour, 400 Lib Dem, but only 13 Conservative candidates. There are 2 million student voters in the UK. Students count for between 10% - 30% in 45 seats in the UK and for the first time look set to swing these votes over the NUS’s campaign. Slide 9 #GE2010 #GENY www.nakedgenerations.comProtected by Copyright © 2010 Naked Generations Limited. All Rights Reserved.

10. Heading for a Hanging? As well as Facebook numbers, 64% of 18-24s are planning on voting Lib Dem, suggesting Generation Y could be instrumental in sending this country into a Hung Parliament… Slide 10 #GE2010 #GENY www.nakedgenerations.comProtected by Copyright © 2010 Naked Generations Limited. All Rights Reserved.

11. Or not. Young people want change and could vote strategically. For example, a youth poll put both the Conservatives and Lib Dems on top, plus the Conservatives have as many Facebook fans as the Lib Dems. Either way, Labour seems to have lost the Y vote. Slide 11 #GE2010 #GENY www.nakedgenerations.comProtected by Copyright © 2010 Naked Generations Limited. All Rights Reserved.

12. More commentary? www.nakedgenerations.com/blog @nakedgen_heledd @nakedgen_chris @nakedgen Slide 12 #GE2010 #GENY www.nakedgenerations.comProtected by Copyright © 2010 Naked Generations Limited. All Rights Reserved.

13. References Slides 2-5 The Independent Voter’s Handbook, 2010 Slides 6-7 http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/apr/30/social-media-election-2010 Slide 8 http://www.facebook.com/libdems http://www.facebook.com/libdems#!/conservatives?ref=ts http://www.facebook.com/libdems#!/labourparty?ref=search&sid=506493147.3972892522..1 Slide 10 http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?pid=4028251&id=370142048888 Slide 11 http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=113749985304255 Slide 12 http://www.computerweekly.com/blogs/election-2010-tech/2010/04/facebook-tv-and-the-web-get-thousands-more-to-register-to-vote.html Slides 13-14 http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/22/surge-voter-registration-election-volatile Slides 15-16 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/8645705.stm Slide 17 http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=411370 Slide 18 http://www.u.tv/election2010/Guardian-ICM-poll-Labour-support-could-fall-below-20/ada6a0cd-3fde-4625-a913-bd20f3542b65 Slides 20-21 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7111092.ece http://www.politics.co.uk/news/general-election-2010/clegg-chases-youth-vote-$1372036.htm Slide 13 #GE2010 #GENY www.nakedgenerations.comProtected by Copyright © 2010 Naked Generations Limited. All Rights Reserved.

14. #GE2010 #GENY Protected by Copyright © 2010 Naked Generations Limited. All Rights Reserved. Slide 14 We connect you to Generation Y Human Resources | Communications | Innovation www.nakedgenerations.com