How do young people perceive the impact of lowering the voting age to 16 on civic and political engagement? A systematic review

Highlights: – Lowering the voting age to 16 generally enhances civic and political engagement. – Civic education and institutional support are crucial to long-term democratic participation. – Political hesitancy reflects electoral and ideological calculations. – Reforms require robust civic education to sustain democracy Purpose: This paper reviews empirical evidence on whether lowering the voting age to 16 enhances civic and political engagement and examines the factors mediating its effects. Design/methodology/approach: Following PRISMA-P guidelines, 3,694 records from Web of Science and Scopus were screened. Eleven empirical studies (2015–2025) met the inclusion criteria, focusing on young people’s political perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours. Findings: Most studies indicate that enfranchising 16- and 17-year-olds promotes civic and political engagement, particularly when accompanied by civic education and institutional support. Early political socialisation and school-based opportunities emerge as key mediators, suggesting that political maturity depends more on educational context than on age. The review also discusses political hesitancy in implementing voting-age reform, often linked to electoral strategy and ideological concerns. Research limitations/implications: The review primarily focuses on English-language, European studies. Longitudinal and cross-national research is necessary to evaluate the long-term and educational effects on youth engagement. Practical implications: Voting-age reforms must be coupled with robust civic education policies to ensure informed and sustainable democratic participation.