Young people are now increasingly open to supporting Reform UK, voting intention polls from More in Common shows.
The latest figures indicate that among 25–34-year-olds support for Reform UK peaked at 23% while for 18-24 year-olds support reached 16%.
Support for both age groups dropped in March but climbed to 16% by early May.
This shift occurs as the party made significant gains during the 2025 local elections, prompting discussions about whether Reform will become a permanent force in British politics.
Political analyst and Reform supporter, Younes Sadaghiani claims this shift indicates a political awakening among some segments of the British public, including younger individuals.
Sadaghiani said: “There is a major shift happening in the world where the consciousness of people is changing. People are tired of establishment politicians and mainstream political parties such as the Labour and Conservatives.”
Historically, young people have been less likely to vote for Reform, with an average of just 7% of 18–24-year-olds and 6% of 25–34-year-olds supporting the party prior to the 2024 general election.
However, since the general election, there has been a gradual increase in support among these age groups.
Sadaghiani points out that public trust in the two traditional parties has diminished across all demographics.
He added: “This is happening all over Europe. People are sick and tired of old school establishment politicians because they lie all the time, they speak like robots and they’re not authentic.
“What Reform offers is a new party with a set of old values but new solutions to problems.
“It’s just a breath of fresh air to have a new kind of party and a charismatic leader that speaks the common man’s language and doesn’t care what people think.”
Sadaghiani also claimed that attacks on Reform UK and its supporters have lost their impact.
He added: “Unfortunately, these are the people that get labelled racist, sexist, Islamophobic but I just don’t think these insults stick anymore.
“At the end of the day, people want freedom, and they want to earn money. If you can sort those things out, then people don’t really care about anything else.”
For some, backing Reform UK is a protest against political, economic, and social decline rather than an outright endorsement.
Harrison, a 25-year-old tech professional, explained his decision to vote for Reform in the 2024 General Election and continued support for them.
He said: “They’re the only party taking immigration seriously. Otherwise, Reform’s policies are quite poor.
“We’ve had 14 years of Conservative rule, but conditions keep getting worse despite a mandate against mass immigration that the Brexit referendum brought. Things are also getting worse under Starmer, so we might as well give Reform a try.”
Harrison views Reform’s local election results as indicative of widespread discontent, particularly over immigration.
He added: “I think the recent success of Reform in the local elections is a sign that the country shares the view that our government has handled immigration poorly.
“It’s horrible for me to vote Reform, I’m from a part of London that is multicultural and most of my best mates are second generation immigrants.
“But we all agree that this amount of migration just reduces our wages. Reform polices just make sense to me; less migration means less competition means higher wages.”
Even though Harrison has doubts about Reform’s ability to govern effectively, he believes its presence is meaningful.
He said: “Reform may not have the competence to bring about the change that’s needed, but it’s possible their popularity will force major parties to take immigration more seriously.”
Sadaghiani discusses how financial pressures are influencing young voters’ political perspectives.
He said: “Unfortunately, we live in a gig economy, where everyone is renting, living pay cheque to pay cheque, where everyone has financial angst, and most people are struggling.”
This economic anxiety, he argues, has made many people more receptive to alternative parties, that promise different solutions.
Harrison said: “All I want is a wage that represents my value.
“I was told if I get good A- levels, go to a good university, I could have a family and buy a house. I followed the rules and I’m nowhere near that promise.”
Voting intention data also highlights a gender divide among Reform supporters.
Prior to the 2024 general election, support among men averaged 10%, while support among women stood at 7%.
Since the election, support has doubled, reaching an average of 20% for men and 14% for women.
Sadaghiani notes a shift among young men, who are expressing more conservative views than before.
He attributes this change to increasing dissatisfaction with progressive or leftist perspectives on gender and identity.
“I think it’s got to do, to some extent, with conversations around toxic masculinity. I think there is a natural pushback towards that.”
Yet despite an increase in young people voting for Reform, support rarely goes beyond 20%.
Support for the party remains the strongest amongst older demographics, particularly between the ages of 65 and 74, where it reached 28% in April 2025.
In London, support for the party has not exceeded 16%. This is in contrast with the rest of the UK, where support reached up to 85% in North East England.
It remains to be seen how successful Reform will be in garnering support in the next general election.
The extent to which support for Reform UK grows amongst young people will be determined by the strategies the party uses to continue to engage this demographic.
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