Young people's interest in politics is highlighted in the poll published by the National Youth Foundation yesterday. Most of the teenage sample surveyed believe 16- year-olds should have the vote. By more than three to one they say they would use it in local and European elections.
Their rank order of political issues puts health, family, crime and human rights at the top of a listing offered. But most of them are unable to name their MEPs, TDs and local councillors. This may have something to do with their predominant belief that "politicians are in it for themselves" and do little to improve the lives of young people.
Many of these attitudes echo those held by young people over 18 who have the right to vote, even though they do not use it as much as older people. Why this should be so has been investigated by researchers in Ireland and other democracies. One pattern emerging shows that voting in later life is habitual and related to practices built up during youthful years. Falling turnout in Irish elections and referendums is beginning to put the legitimacy of the political system in question, so it is important to find out more about it.
The Quarterly National Household Survey carried out by the Central Statistics Office investigated turnout in the 2002 general election and found that younger people are in no way more cynical or disillusioned about politics than the average person. For 18 and 19-year-olds by far the most common reason for not voting is that they are not registered or do not have a polling card. They are more likely to be away from home or studying during the week. As the CSO report said, all these reasons for poor turnout among young people are amenable to remedy. Publicity drives coupled with other events such as linking registration for driving licence and other services to that for voting would make a difference, as would Saturday voting.
The voting age should also be more seriously debated. There is a good case to be made for reducing the voting age to 16 if this was coupled with much more effective citizenship and civic education in schools. The educational system provides a ready-made social and deliberative resource to encourage voting and political participation at a young age. There is little or no evidence in these surveys that young people are less well-informed about public affairs or less concerned about its impact on their particular interests. They do want to engage with politics but express frustration with politicians and the existing political processes which they regard as irrelevant to their daily lives.