How did this age divide in voting come about over time? Let’s have a look at the two ends of the age spectrum… 1/7 
The Conservatives have gotten steadily less popular among 18-24 year olds over time, but the big Lab-Con gap only takes off among 18-24 year olds after they abandon the Lib Dems en masse in 2015 – the tuition fees effect. 2/7
In 2015 a lot of 18-24 yr old ex-Lib Dems first go to ‘other’ parties, particularly the Greens and SNP/PC who together rise from ~3% to ~15% in 2015 but then fall to ~5% in 2017 as this group then swings to Labour – perhaps the effect of Corbyn? 3/7
This same ‘midway house’ effect occurs again in 2019 when the Lab-Con voting gap among 18-24 year olds rises while Lab’s share is constant because some of this group shift from the Cons to the Lib Dems, Greens and ‘other’. 4/7
In contrast, the Con-Lab voting gap rose steadily over time among 65+ year olds. 5/7
There may have been a similar ‘midway house’ effect beneath the surface though: some of the fall in Lab seems to be going to UKIP who drive the rise in ‘other’, and their collapse from 17% in 2017 favours the Cons and widens the gap. 6/7
So why has the age gap peaked in 2019? The answer seems to be that short-term party positioning and long-term cultural change have pushed in the same direction more than ever. 7/7
For a comprehensive theory of why age groups have diverged politically over time see @PippaN15 and Inglehart’s excellent book ‘Cultural Backlash’. amazon.co.uk/Cultural-Backl…
