Red C poll results - Young shed their apathy to politics

INTRIGUINGLY, the results of today’s Red C Irish Examiner poll portray a radically different political landscape regarding the voting intentions of young people than has been manifest up to now.

Conducted online, the poll questioned 500 adults aged 18-35 on their voting intentions, interest in politics and the impact of the economic situation on their lives. By any yardstick, the results are surprising.

Contrary to the traditional image of young voters as disaffected, mired in apathy and alienated from the political system, the poll clearly demonstrates that, if anything, they have been galvanised by the sheer scale of the economic crisis confronting Ireland.

Though it may be a high price to pay for their dramatic awakening in terms of politics and the democratic process, the switching-on of those perceived as lacking in political engagement is a welcome development.

There can be no doubt that the remarkably high figure of 79% of under-35s who intend voting next Friday is a measure of the seething anger and frustration among those who have seen their loved ones emigrate. Facing the same dire prospect themselves, three out of five had personal experience of emigration, knowing either a family member or friend who was forced to leave in the past year.

That feeling of anger is underlined by the bleak outlook for many of those polled in an economy where 22% of them are currently unemployed, well above the national average, and where so many are sceptical about their chances of getting a job in the future. Indeed, more than half considered leaving Ireland in the past 12 months.

Perhaps that explains why they are so intent on voting, effectively bucking the national trend reflected in polls conducted before now. Not only are they moving towards the left but they also favour the unprecedented crop of Independents, as well as the Greens and other small parties running in this election.

The significance of this heightened sense of radicalism will not be lost on the parties of the right because the prevailing pattern of recent times suggested young people were increasingly motivated by the brand of materialism which characterised the Celtic Tiger, an era that lies at the root of so many of our problems today.

Another finding that goes against the grain shows that three in five consider politics are important in their everyday lives — a much higher proportion than normal due to the parlous plight of the country and the unprecedented level of interest in the election campaign. If these findings were replicated at the ballot box, we can expect an unusually high turnout from young voters.

That so many under-35s should express such determination to make their mark on a broken political system is in stark contrast with the perceived apathy of young Irish people. These results underline just how important it is for the political parties to engage with young people in a more meaningful and less patronising way in future.

In the context of next week’s general election, and on a political landscape that is undergoing profound change, politicians who ignore the groundbreaking findings of this poll do so at their peril.