Do the children and young people in your family know who their elected representatives are? If the answer is no, they are not alone.
The latest Jersey Children and Young People’s Survey revealed that low numbers of young islanders are aware of who their elected politicians are.
Facilitated by Statistics Jersey, the report showed that less than a third (29%) of Year 8 pupils knew their respective States Members.
By the time students reach Year 12, that figure has almost halved to 15%.
And over half (51%) of Year 12 students and 44% of Year 10 students admitted they did not know who makes decisions about the island’s future.
The report also revealed that young people’s knowledge about political processes declines as they age.
While 51% of Year 6 students said they understood how decisions about Jersey’s future were made, this dropped to just 30% by Year 12.
The survey also found that less than a fifth (14%) of Year 12 students – the only surveyed age group eligible to vote – knew how to share their views with elected States Members.