# ‘Largest-ever’ children’s election puts Labour first, followed by Greens - Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/07/03/largest-ever-childrens-election-puts-labour-first-followed-by-greens/ - Published: 2024-07-03T10:00:00+01:00 - Author: Melanie May **Ahead of this Thursday’s General Election, around 23,000 children in England and Wales took part in ‘Our Generation. Our Vote.’. Described as the largest-ever children’s election, it was organised by a coalition of organisations including Save the Children, UK Youth, The Politics Project, the Association for Citizenship Teaching and Girlguiding, and inspired by similar events in Norway.** 32% of the 23,000 participants voted Labour, 29% voted for the Green Party and 13% for the Liberal Democrats. Reform UK received 10% of the vote, followed by Conservatives on 9%.  In Wales, Labour won 30%, followed by Green Party (22%), Reform UK (14%), Liberal Democrats (10%), Plaid Cymru (9%) and Conservatives (8%). ## Advertisement Across both nations, children cited education (22%) as the policy area that influenced their vote the most, followed by health (18%) and climate and environment (18%). 16% named the cost-of-living and 12% safety. Immigration and refugees came bottom with 8%.  More than 530 schools and youth groups from across England and Wales signed up to‘ Our Generation. Our Vote.’ which is a political literacy project to help under 18- year-olds build their understanding of the democratic process, the different parties and their election manifestos, and local candidates standing in their areas. The project culminated in a mock election aimed at preparing children – particularly those from marginalised communities – to exercise their democratic rights when they reach voting age.  Matilda, 14, cast her vote in the ‘Our Generation. Our Vote.’ election at her school in Worcestershire. She said: > “I think politicians overlook young people because we don’t have the vote, so > it was exciting to have the opportunity to cast my ballot and have a say, after > learning about the different parties. In the past, I’ve heard from my parents > about the party they support so it was interesting to learn about what all the > other parties are offering in their manifestos this election. It was really educational.” A spokesperson for ‘Our Generation. Our Vote.’ said: > “Democracy is the lifeblood of the UK and it’s vital that children across the > country feel inspired to play their role as citizens, whatever their background. > We’re always striving to give children a platform for their views about the issues > that affect them most. The run-up to this election allowed them to speak to politicians > and hear first-hand about the policies of the main parties. >   > We have no allegiance to any party, but as a coalition, Our Generation. Our Vote > is delighted with the support it’s received from schools, teachers, parents and, > of course, the children themselves.” Full details of how children voted, including a regional breakdown of the data, can be found [here](https://www.democracyclassroom.com/our-generation-our-vote-results). * **[Sector leaders call for fresh approach to working with civil society following Labour’s landslide win](https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/07/05/sector-leaders-call-for-fresh-approach-to-working-with-civil-society-following-labours-landslide-win/)**( 5 July 2024) * **[Former Shadow Charities Minister takes up DCMS role & James Timpson becomes Prisons Minister](https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/07/09/former-shadow-charities-minister-takes-up-dcms-role-james-timpson-becomes-prisons-minister/)**( 9 July 2024) * **[Bernie Sanders’ campaign attracts multiple small online donations](https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/02/16/bernie-sanders-campaign-attracts-multiple-small-online-donations/)**( 16 February 2016)