Irish Examiner view: Parties have to try to connect with the voters of the future

The mobilisation of the youth vote this year could be a massive factor in elections in Ireland and around the world this year

The mobilisation of the youth vote, that great political pot of gold, could be a massive factor in many elections this year. Picture: Denis Minihane

The mobilisation of the youth vote, that great political pot of gold, could be a massive factor in many elections this year, from the UK to the US, to Taiwan and on to India, Russia, and here at home. Political academics and experts in the field now recognise there is no one secret formula to getting younger voters to actually vote, but rather a variety of formulae which involve multiples of consistently shifting variables, all of which make the youth vote harder to persuade and to mobilise.

Gen Z-ers and millennials are believed, generally, to favour issues rather than traditional parties, with recent elections in France and Holland showing a shift to the far right, which will worry mainstream political dynasties.