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LAST UPDATE | 18 Oct
STUDENTS AT DUBLIN City University have said the presidential election has captured their attention “significantly” more than previous political events – but it remains to be seen if this engagement will translate to voter turnout.
The Journal spoke to students this week at Dublin City University, one of the country’s largest college campuses, to get a sense of how young people are feeling about the upcoming presidential election.
Younger age groups haven’t been known for turning out to vote in recent years.
Brian Dawson, Communications Officer from the Electoral Commission, told The Journal that young people are a demographic that are “traditionally less likely to be registered”.
This year a campaign encouraging people to register to vote resulted in 61,000 being added to the register, a number Dawson said closely matches the 60,000 young people who would have turned 18 since the 2024 general election.
But will those registrations turn into votes, and what do students think about the election?
The majority of students who spoke to The Journal said they have been engaged with the election and are planning to vote, which many attributed to Catherine Connolly’s candidacy.
The independent candidate has featured as a guest on several podcasts, including influencer James Kavanagh’s, and has campaigned at university campuses across the country. One such event was taking place at DCU on the day we spoke to students, but her support wasn’t limited to the event attendees; many students going about their day elsewhere on campus who were stopped by The Journal brought up her name unprompted.
Paul, 19, told The Journal he is “significantly” more engaged with the presidential election than the latest general election.
“At least this time, I feel like all the candidates have a bit more personality,” he said, adding that the debates give him a “good laugh”.
Shari, 20, said he feels Connolly’s campaign has connected to the cultural values of young people.
“I think that campaign has done a master class in terms of connecting with young people,” he said, adding that he’s been so impressed with the candidate that he joined her campaign.
Shari said he believes young people are more interested in the presidential election than in general or local elections – something he puts down to the popularity of Michael D Higgins presidency amongst students.
Higgins was known to many student voters in 2018 as Miggeldy – the cute elder statesman whose left-wing, socially liberal political credentials may have contributed to his favour among the cohort of young people to whom his politics appeal.
Connolly, who is backed by several political parties on the left, may also be picking up support among the student voter base in a similar way. A campaign group of students set up to support her Áras run said it is supporting Connolly because of her advocacy on Palestine, housing costs and student issues.
Rian, 19, told The Journal today that Connolly’s left-leaning politics represents his values.
Shari said he feels like Connolly would “continue the legacy” of Higgins, one of the main reasons he, and possibly other young people, are so excited about her candidacy.
“When you’re looking at the presidential election, and because of the impact that Michael D Higgins has had, I think a lot more young people are connected, and especially with Catherine”, he said.
The latest poll indicates that Connolly has almost double the support of Humphreys among the general population, but Roisín, 19, said she feels there is a generational divide among who people are planning to vote for.
“Catherine Connolly represents younger people better than Heather Humphreys does. I think most of the people I know my age are definitely voting for her versus older people, like my parents and like relatives, they’re all voting for Heather Humphreys,” she said.
She added that people her age are more engaged in the election than she expected them to be.
Keelin, 20, also told The Journal she is invested in the election as she feels it is an opportunity for young adults to make their views clear to politicians.
“I was six for the last presidential election, so this is my first opportunity to have kind of a say in our president,” she said.
Keelin said that although she doesn’t feel either of the candidates fully represent her values, Connolly comes closest, a view shared by several students.
Although many students are engaged in the election, there’s still a cohort for whom it’s not a matter that feels important or relevant to them.
Several students declined to speak in detail to The Journal because they said they don’t have any strong thoughts about the election or don’t feel informed about it.
One student said the election “doesn’t occupy much space” in his mind.
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