Dr. Theresa Reidy:

The Austrian election study demonstrates that point, particular with regard to 16 and 17 year olds. It shows that young people are not a kind of microcosm that exists independently of society and that, very broadly speaking, they follow the trends. When 16 and 17 year olds were studied more closely they very much approximated many of the trends in the election. Some of the discussions about lowering the voting age to 16 suggest that 16 and 17 year olds are very radical and that they might vote wildly to the right or miles to the left, but the evidence presented shows that they very much approximate the trends seen across the board in those kinds of elections. It demonstrates the importance of this research in giving an understanding when making critical policy changes on something like the voting age. Such changes have to be informed by evidence.