FOR MORE than 300,900 young people, the coming election will be their first chance to vote. But a surprising number of them do not seem to care much, judging by an opinion poll published by the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) this week.

The results showed that a third of the young people surveyed were not registered to vote or had no intention of exercising that right. While the blame for this cannot be placed entirely on the shoulders of the State's education system, civic awareness was not a priority when these people were passing through school.

These 18-24 year olds were taught all there was to know about how the State came into being, but relatively little about how it functioned or how vital their place would be within it. They were well versed in the role of revolutionaries and other key figures in Irish history but not in the role they themselves would eventually be expected to play in a democracy.

Civics as a subject had been taught in schools over previous decades. In recent years, however, the subject has slipped almost unnoticed out of the curriculum, having been replaced by a weekly "tutorial" where everything from Catholicism to career choices is discussed.

Even when civics was in place, this mundane journey through the Houses of the Oireachtas did little to ignite even the tiniest spark of civil duty in many frivolous teenage hearts.

The Minister for Education, Ms Breathnach, is to be applauded, therefore, for the mandatory introductions from September of a civic, social and political education course in schools. No doubt it will go a long way to increase civic awareness in a State where 42 per cent of the population is under 25. Unfortunately, the initiative comes too late for most of the current crop of first time voters.

Some argue that students have been encouraged to be civic minded through other subjects, such as history, English and geography. "All these subjects encourage independent thinking and analysis which can, obviously, be put to good use when the time comes for a young person to vote," said a spokeswoman for the Teachers' Union of Ireland.

But not everyone agrees that the foundation for a responsible political adulthood was put down in school. "It certainly didn't prepare us for choosing our government and I think it should have," says sports and leisure student Mr Barry Dooley (19), from Shankill, Co Dublin. "We learnt so many irrelevant things in school that surely this is a subject which should at least have been discussed."

Mr Jonathan Cosgrave (18), a science student at Trinity College, said he just "isn't bothered" about voting. "I mean, it isn't important to me. It's not going to make a difference one way or another. I'm not registered. I won't vote. Maybe it's apathy. I just can't be bothered.

Those that can "be bothered" tend to join political groups in colleges. Fianna Fail's youth wing is by far the most popular, with more than 700 members in third level institutions. Young Fine Gael is next, followed by the Young Progressive Democrats, Labour Youth and the Greens. The Socialist Workers Students Society has a visible presence in most third level institutions, while Democratic Left hardly registers.

The NYCI poll reflected this activity. It showed that 26 per cent of respondents planned to vote Fianna Fail. The Labour Party received a higher level of support (14 per cent) than was evident from their presence at third level. Crucially, more than a quarter of respondents said they had not yet made up their minds which way to vote.

The poll also gave a revealing glimpse into the minds of these new voters, floating or otherwise. Top of their priorities is unemployment, not surprising given that more than 60,000 of their number are on the dole and a further 13,000 on FAS courses.

In fact, the youth unemployment rate is currently twice that of older people. Drugs and crime are the other burning issues cited as "serious" by those surveyed. Asked what was most important to them, good health was scored far ahead of social life/friends and money.

MORE CLUES can be found in a recent Irish Family Planning Association survey which demonstrated that "young Irish people lead the way on attitudes to sexual health and family planning issues".

The country's newest voters are socially conscientious, broadminded and less driven by monetary goals than many would have predicted. So to what extent are the needs and desires of "Voter 300 000" reflected in the policies of our political parties?

Labour, Fine Gael and Democratic Left will attempt to woo the 300,000 additions to the electorate by virtue of their record in Government. The substantial number of new voters in third level education have been helped by the abolition of third level fees, the increase in maintenance grants and the introduction of the Universities Bill. The new voters are also promised a continued commitment to a "pluralist, tolerant and open Ireland".

Fianna Fail says it has actively encouraged a number of younger party members to stand as candidates in the election. According to a spokeswoman, a "huge" amount of work over the past three years has increased party support among the 18-24 age group.

The party's Taking the Lead document on the sport and leisure industry and the recently published document highlighting employment opportunities for young people will both be used as tempting carrots to dangle in front of those between 18 and 24 years.

Ms Mairead Foley, who recently announced that she would be contesting the election in Dublin North East for the Progressive Democrats, says the PDs are "a young party with the courage to take bold steps to bring about change". Policies such as increased third level places, extended use of methadone treatments for drug addicts and statutory provisions to ease the burden on young drivers' insurance rates are all designed to make the party more attractive to younger voters.

The national youth officer for the PDs, Ms Elizabeth Birdthistle, believes that while parties are definitely "tuned in" to what young people want, they don't do enough to advertise the fact. "There is no point in having youth policies if you don't get out there and let young people know what you are offering them.

She says the Government should also be quicker about announcing the date of the election so that young people can register at the polling station where they are likely to be on that date.

The youngest member of the Dail, Ms Mildred Fox (25), concedes that even despite the youth orientated policies offered, there is a "certain reluctance" among people of her age to vote.

"A lot of my friends wouldn't have voted before I got involved," she says. "They see politicians as a step above them figures they cannot relate to. They should be given as much encouragement as possible to go out and exercise their franchise.

"After all," she said, issuing a pointed warning to her younger peers, "bad politicians are elected by citizens who don't vote."