To be worried the Young are going to be Ukip Voters.

[Jacobsmum1972]

My Ds school did a mock election and Ukip won by 71%. Followed by the Tories 16% and labour 11% lib dems 1.9% and greens a 0.1%.

These were year 9,10,11,12,13 in a mix of Middle and working class area.

Aibu to be worried that young people are xenophobic.

I think most young people will have immigrant classmates and won't see them as the problem UKIP do - they are just their friends. I would be surprised if many 18 year olds would vote UKIP because of this. My son is 15 and if he could vote now it would be for Labour.

Dirty - I'd say that hugely depends on where you live, my area is very un multicultural.

My sixth formers were discussing how UKIP want to cancel Dr Who. That was not a popular policy.

The youngsters in our extended family - those of voting age - seem to be generally unaware that there's a forthcoming election.

There's a reason you have to be 18 to vote! Teenagers tend to be very cliquey and very conservative in their thinking IMO. All it takes is a vocal few proclaiming their beliefs and the others will follow suit.

OP maybe it's because the other main parties have lied to the parents of the children with regards to manifestos/policies?

Not our lot ... Ghastly Nige came on the radio when I was doing the school run once and as I was snarling at him, DS2 asked who he was and the largest of the big boy cousins said he was head the pensioner's wing of the BNP!

UKIP aren't poorly disguised neo Nazis. They don't wear any disguise at all. They're perfectly happy to tell you that they don't want any foreigners. The problem with red laced Dr Martens and a crew cut, is that it's so 80s. Today you can put on a suit instead.

whats the point in being worried, we have a democratic society and funnily enough you can vote for anyone you want to even ukip

My older dc of voting age don't like them, but many of their peers are voting for the first time and are voting UKIP so they say. Some in their late teens, early twenties who haven't voted before, both sexes too.
I think they are a huge threat to the other parties for the future.
I wouldn't be surprised if they had a sudden increase of seats, to make them real contenders next time.

It isn't young people you need to worry about, in demographic terms Ukip gets it support from the over 50s white working class men (occupational grades c2de)

the old are more likely to be xenophobic, when I was young it was the BNP ...young people saw them for what they were....what happened to the BNP?

I wouldn't be worried, my son's generation (20-21 now) seem to be Green. All working class and in low paid jobs or unemployed, so if they aren't voting Ukip I certainly wouldn't expect the children of the better off to do so.

About 10 years ago, the area I worked in decided to do a mock election with the kids for the European election. Great idea up until they got the votes in and found BNP won. Funny enough it all went very quiet and they didn't publish the results. I wouldn't support them bringing the age of voting down to 16.

fear could it not be that they did this to piss off the teachers/ make mischief, rather than being a reflection of their actual views?

Not so sure, Compos. I have a feeling that our family youngsters think the Geordie Shore Party is a real one and plan to vote for that. In line with their views.

PS - Inasmuch as they know they'll have to vote.

(And could someone please reassure me that that is a joke party?)

No, no candidates in this mock, 5 parties and their policies. We are in a multicultural area.

hardly xenophobic, ukip aren't anti immigrants but they support those who want to come here who have skills we need in the country, like australia does, and that makes sense. the n.h.s would possibly collaspe without people from other countries working in it.

I think DD's school will go labour (we live in a solid conservative-UKIP stronghold).

DS15 has a Libdem poster in his window but probably wants to vote conservative for their military funding policies (& because he dare not vote UKIP or DH will implode). The young don't know What they want.

DD2's school is doing a mock election.

The people who are being UKIP are making lots of speeches about, "With my white male privilege, why would I be concerned about other people's problems?" and, "Why would we want all the trade advantages of being part of the EU?" and "What's so good about diversity, anyway?"

Maybe they'll win?

mrsfuzzy, you do realise how difficult it is to enter the UK from countries outside the EU? Harder than it is to get into Australia, actually.

Teenagers aren't the crazy rebels they like to think they are. They are naturally conservative creatures so this doesn't surprise me at all! It all evens out in the end.

70% of kids though

When I was school we held mock elections and The Monster Raving Loony Party one by a huge amount. Mainly because the people canvassing for them were so fun and full of character!

The school were not impressed with the "serious" election being highjacked like that and the newspaper report told the lie that the Conservatives won.

I don't think many of us went on to vote MRLP for real though.

I really think it depends on who was representing UKIP - popular kids = more votes. We never actually took much notice of policies, just voted for the one that made us laugh or our friends were representing.