Barriers to youth political participation: insights from Malaysia’s lowered voting age policy (Undi18) in the 15th General Election
In 2019, Malaysia implemented the Undi18 policy, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 and enabling younger candidates to contest in federal and state elections. The 15th General Election (GE-15) provided the first significant opportunity to assess the policy’s impact on youth political participatio...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Cogent Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2025.2491710 |
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| author | Mohd Irwan Syazli Saidin Nabighah Azrun |
| author_facet | Mohd Irwan Syazli Saidin Nabighah Azrun |
| author_sort | Mohd Irwan Syazli Saidin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In 2019, Malaysia implemented the Undi18 policy, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 and enabling younger candidates to contest in federal and state elections. The 15th General Election (GE-15) provided the first significant opportunity to assess the policy’s impact on youth political participation. This study employs a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews with 20 first-time voters in Johor and Selangor, and two key stakeholders. The findings indicate that while Undi18 has generated interest among young voters, significant barriers remain, including insufficient political education, limited access to reliable information, and gaps in democratic citizenship skills. Despite enthusiasm for participation, many young voters expressed uncertainty about their roles and responsibilities in the political process. The study highlights the need for comprehensive political education to foster effective youth engagement. Addressing informational and educational gaps can enhance the success of policies like Undi18. These findings contribute to the broader literature on youth political participation by proposing targeted interventions to overcome identified challenges, offering actionable insights for policymakers to better engage youth in politics and ensuring the long-term success of electoral reforms like Undi18. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-637d512ce35546b583f85bca86089983 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2331-1886 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cogent Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-637d512ce35546b583f85bca860899832025-08-20T02:13:27ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Social Sciences2331-18862025-12-0111110.1080/23311886.2025.2491710Barriers to youth political participation: insights from Malaysia’s lowered voting age policy (Undi18) in the 15th General ElectionMohd Irwan Syazli Saidin0Nabighah Azrun1Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, School of Government and International Affairs, University of Durham, Durham, UKSchool of Policy Studies, University of Bristol, Bristol, UKIn 2019, Malaysia implemented the Undi18 policy, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 and enabling younger candidates to contest in federal and state elections. The 15th General Election (GE-15) provided the first significant opportunity to assess the policy’s impact on youth political participation. This study employs a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews with 20 first-time voters in Johor and Selangor, and two key stakeholders. The findings indicate that while Undi18 has generated interest among young voters, significant barriers remain, including insufficient political education, limited access to reliable information, and gaps in democratic citizenship skills. Despite enthusiasm for participation, many young voters expressed uncertainty about their roles and responsibilities in the political process. The study highlights the need for comprehensive political education to foster effective youth engagement. Addressing informational and educational gaps can enhance the success of policies like Undi18. These findings contribute to the broader literature on youth political participation by proposing targeted interventions to overcome identified challenges, offering actionable insights for policymakers to better engage youth in politics and ensuring the long-term success of electoral reforms like Undi18.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2025.2491710Young voterUndi18MalaysiaGeneral Election-15political participationPolitical behavior and participation |
| spellingShingle | Mohd Irwan Syazli Saidin Nabighah Azrun Barriers to youth political participation: insights from Malaysia’s lowered voting age policy (Undi18) in the 15th General Election Cogent Social Sciences Young voter Undi18 Malaysia General Election-15 political participation Political behavior and participation |
| title | Barriers to youth political participation: insights from Malaysia’s lowered voting age policy (Undi18) in the 15th General Election |
| title_full | Barriers to youth political participation: insights from Malaysia’s lowered voting age policy (Undi18) in the 15th General Election |
| title_fullStr | Barriers to youth political participation: insights from Malaysia’s lowered voting age policy (Undi18) in the 15th General Election |
| title_full_unstemmed | Barriers to youth political participation: insights from Malaysia’s lowered voting age policy (Undi18) in the 15th General Election |
| title_short | Barriers to youth political participation: insights from Malaysia’s lowered voting age policy (Undi18) in the 15th General Election |
| title_sort | barriers to youth political participation insights from malaysia s lowered voting age policy undi18 in the 15th general election |
| topic | Young voter Undi18 Malaysia General Election-15 political participation Political behavior and participation |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2025.2491710 |
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