RISING COSTS, SOCIAL protection and access to healthcare are the top political priorities for young Irish people aged between 16 and 30 years old, according to a new poll.

The cost of living and access to social and health care were the joint-highest-ranking priorities for the cohort, with 31% of young Irish people, respectively, stating that more action was needed to tackle the issues.

While inflation rates in Ireland have largely slumped in recent months, and are due to fall further this year, the cost of goods and services have not. This has been the source of significant concern from charities and civil society groups in recent months.

The research, conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the EU’s Eurobarometer Youth Survey 2024, was published by the European Parliament today.

Across the EU, young Europeans demanded more attention to be directed towards addressing the cost of living and climate change, according to the study. More than a fifth of Irish respondents also said gender equality required more action.

Today’s findings from young Irish people, which were collected in September and October last year, are largely in line with what were the main political priorities cited by voters ahead and after the Irish general election in November.

Meanwhile, the majority of Irish respondents had positive opinions towards EU membership and the European Parliament but very few said they actively engage in civic practices – such as creating or signing a petition (17%).

This is a frequent trend among the broader Irish population as while voters are far more likely to have a positive view of the EU compared to other member states, voting turnout figures in every Irish election are the lowest in the continent. 

However, the new poll found that young Irish people are the most-likely group in Europe to post their opinions about political or social issues online, compared to citizens from other member states.

Young Europeans are most-likely to receive their news from social media, according to the research. The vast majority – 76% – of all respondents said that they are aware of how to identify disinformation and fake news online.

The poll states that young Irish people are far less-likely to encounter disinformation online, but 87% of respondents from Ireland said they feel confident or very confident in identifying fake news.

A total of 46% of Irish respondents receive their political and social news on YouTube, the video-sharing platform by Google.

Ireland also has the highest proportion of young people consuming news on X, formerly Twitter, and WhatsApp in Europe (over a third, respectively).

The most-common identified barrier for political action across the EU was the feeling that contacting a politician about a particular issue would not impact or resolve the problem. 

Figures for this varied, however, and just 15% of Irish respondents cited this as the largest barrier. Political jargon was the main barrier among young people in Ireland, with 21% of respondents citing the issue.

Among voting trends, the poll found that younger people in Ireland are most-likely to cast a ballot of parties or candidates who place a priority on issues directly impacting their generation.