Adolescent voting competence: Can 14- to 17-year-olds vote as well as their parents?

Abstract

This study examined the voting competence of adolescents aged 14 to 17 by comparing their voting quality to that of their parents and exploring potential developmental differences among adolescents. Voting quality—defined as normative voting, that is, the consistency between one's political preferences and voting decisions—was used to assess voting competence. The sample comprised 178 parent–child dyads (M_adolescents = 15.4 years, SD = 1.1, 49 % female; M_parents = 46.2 years, SD = 7.5, 57 % female). Data were collected shortly before real state elections in Germany, in which parents but not adolescents were eligible to vote. Compared to their parents, adolescents were more neutral toward political issues, less interested in politics, and less engaged in political discussions. They were also more frequently indecisive, reporting that they did not yet know which party they would vote for. However, when adolescents did make a voting decision, their voting quality was comparable to that of their parents. Differences between younger and older adolescents were found only under the most lenient criterion for voting quality and did not hold in the age correlation. While the cross-sectional design and limited age range constrain developmental interpretations, the findings indicate that even adolescents as young as 14 may be able to make voting decisions of comparable quality to adults.