How the politics of culture and identity drive a gender gap among young voters: a study of UK voters in 2024

In recent years, a wide gender gap has emerged both in voting and in political ideology among young voters in a number of countries, with young women more likely to vote for left-wing and socially liberal parties than young men. The width of the gap, disproportionate in comparison with older generations, challenges explanations that propose (gradual) structural change. Using British Election Study Internet Panel Waves 27–29 around the UK's 2024 election, I estimate Generalized Additive Models (GAM) on Mokken-derived economic and cultural ideology scales. I find that the gender gap among the young is limited to issues of culture and identity, not economics. These results are consistent with conjunctural, gendered dynamics in the salience and framing of these issues and not fully consistent with a purely gradual, structural account.