Bite The Ballot and Starbucks Host ‘Democracy Cafe’

Bite The Ballot and Starbucks encourage young people to take the future into their own hands by hosting ‘Democracy Cafes’ ahead of the General Election

Under 25s are 81% more likely to search about the General Election than the rest of the UK

With a few days left to register to vote in June’s General Election, Bite The Ballot and Starbucks UK are encouraging young people to get together in their communities to talk politics over coffee. Following the success of the ‘Democracy Cafes’ created by Bite The Ballot and Starbucks ahead of last year’s EU referendum, the events are running again in the lead up to the General Election on June 8th.

DeCafe events (‘Democracy Cafe’) will enable under 25s, often referred to as the ‘votes lost’ generation, to meet up and talk about the real facts of this year’s surprise General Election.

Evidence shows that under 25s are interested in learning more about the snap election. Data collated for Starbucks from Hitwise* following the announcement of the snap election reveals 18-24-year olds are 81 per cent more likely to search around the General Election than the rest of the country. In particular, students and those in internships are demonstrating an increasing appetite with 73 per cent more likely to seek information around the general election online.

DeCafe’s were inspired by the early history of coffee houses, where people would come together to discuss and debate local problems and put plans in place to resolve their shared issues. Ten events will be hosted over the next week in selected Starbucks stores across London, Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester, Sheffield and Edinburgh. Hundreds of young people are expected to take part and are invited to openly share their views on the upcoming election.

Simon Redfern, vice president public affairs for Starbucks Europe said, “Together with Bite The Ballot, we are reviving the role coffee shops once played in sparking public debate in the 17th-18th century.

“With over half of our UK partners (employees) under the age of, we are delighted to provide an opportunity for young people, including our store teams, to join this important conversation.

“The DeCafe events create safe environments for young people to meet and debate the issues they care about, ensure they register to vote before 22nd May.”

Mike Sani, CEO of Bite The Ballot said, "We are excited to be partnering with Starbucks UK again for the third year to run DeCafe's across local communities in the UK. DeCafe's provide a safe space for people who would not usually socialise with one another, to come together to explore the issues they care about, debate and develop the political solutions to create change".

For more information on the DeCafe events across the country, visit www.bitetheballot.co.uk or follow @bitetheballot. Follow the wider campaign at this website http://www.turnup.org.uk/ #TurnUp