Political activism 'low' among young Irish

Less than half of young people aged between 18 and 24 voted in the last general election, new figures reveal.

A European survey of over 34,000 people reveals that Irish youth rank 15th across the continent in terms of voting, with just 42 per cent of first-time voters casting their ballot.

This compares to 85 per cent of young people who voted in the last national election in Sweden.

According to the consumer think-tank Future Foundation, which did the survey, young people in Ireland show major differences to their European counterparts with few taking an active interest in politics.

The figures indicate that just 8 per cent of young people aged 16-24 have taken part in demonstrations to help highlight dissatisfaction with how their country is run or to try to improve it. In Spain 44 per cent of this age group reported taking part in lawful protests.

Young Irish people were also found to be much less likely to boycott products, with just 10 per cent of youths admitting they had done so in the past, whereas 28 per cent of Swedes had taken part in boycott of goods for political reasons.

The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) today unveiled its Election Report Card for Education, which graded the political parties on a range of key issues including health care and college fees.

Labour, the Greens and Sinn Féin all received top marks, while Fianna Fail and Fine Gael were placed mid table. The Progressive Democrats came last as it never replied to the USI's questions.

USI president Colm Hamrogue said: "USI sought firm commitments from every party about their plans for third-level education - specifically in respect of student accommodation and student health care, fees and the maintenance grant.

"Worryingly, the report card reveals that firm commitments have not been made on all of these issues by every party, at least not yet. . . . The report card reveals which parties are being coy about their plans for students."