Today's report marks the last in the Irish Times/TNS mrbi Youth Poll series, and provides a final overview of this generation's views and experiences of matters ranging from media consumption and diet, through to politics and religion. Ian McShane, Managing Director TNS mrbi, provides expert analysis.
Anyone involved in the media and marketing industry will be keenly aware that, while notoriously difficult to reach by conventional methods, the 15 to 24 year-old audience is nevertheless extremely media- literate and technologically savvy.
Today's poll, for example, tells us that over 90 per cent of this group own a mobile telephone, and the degree to which this generation communicates via texting, utilising what has in effect evolved into a distinct dialect of the English language, is by now well documented. In addition, almost 66 per cent have access to the Internet, either at home, school/college or work, with the vast majority of these regularly using e-mail. They will also spend up to three hours each day watching TV.
Contrary to the common perception of a generation which has little or no interest in national or international affairs, a sizeable 85 per cent plus of this age group reads newspapers, with a small majority of these (equating to approximately 300,000 individuals) telling us they like to read about national and international news or politics.
This is not to lose sight of the fact that sport is the key attraction of newspapers to the young Irish male, with celebrity news and entertainment the greatest draw for young females.
On a related point, one in eight of all 15 to 24 year-olds habitually view newspaper websites online, with one in seven regularly accessing Internet chat rooms, the latter behaviour more prevalent among the younger, and potentially more vulnerable, 15 to 19 year-old grouping. Regardless of the consequences of all of these findings for the media and marketing industry, they also of course have implications for the educationalists, public health specialists and Government organisations which are constantly seeking to identify channels of communication which they can effectively and credibly use to reach young people.
Having identified the quite significant number of younger adults who express an interest in national and international current affairs, it is worth referring to the responses elicited by a question which asked the interviewees to identify, on an unprompted basis, three people they most admire nowadays, and three people they least admire.
With regard to this generation's "heroes", a majority look to the type of people who have a direct influence on their lives on a day-to- day basis, including their parents (35 per cent), other family members (15 per cent) and friends and neighbours (26 per cent). Pop/rock stars (31 per cent ) and sports stars (25 per cent) also elicit some admiration, with Bono/U2 and Roy Keane each mentioned by 8 per cent. It is, however, particularly interesting to note that almost one in five of all Irish 15 to 24 year-olds name George Bush as one of the three people they least admire, on a purely unprompted basis. This compares with 7 per cent who mention both Tony Blair and Saddam Hussein in the same context.
It is clear that the youth of Ireland are less than impressed with the current US administration's response to the events of September 11th, 2001. Note that due to the fact that respondents were encouraged to name three people by this question, responses will add to more than 100 per cent.
Closer to home, the recent slide in Mr Bertie Ahern's personal popularity also registers in today's survey, with one in seven of our respondents spontaneously identifying the Taoiseach as someone they least admire. Incidentally, 17 per cent of those eligible to vote, and who tell us they are likely to do so in next year's local and European elections, single out the Taoiseach for criticism at this question.
There has been much debate in relation to the issue of healthy diet and weight control, and the related area of teenage eating disorders. With regard to healthy eating, almost half of these young adults (45 per cent) report that they do not have regular meal-times, a finding which is not particularly surprising given the hectic lifestyle they lead.
Of greater concern, however, is the fact that almost four in 10 admit that they do not eat a healthy or balanced diet, a figure which is reasonably constant across the age groups, right up to those who are 23 and 24 years-old.
Another figure which may set alarm bells ringing from a healthcare perspective, is the extremely high percentage, 42 per cent, of young women who agree to the statement: "I am always trying to lose weight." It seems unlikely that approaching half of all young females are overweight, which suggests there are many who are dieting so as to conform to a certain societal body-image.
The downside to this dynamic is reflected in the fact that 56 per cent of all 15 to 24 year- old females know someone in their own age group who suffers from an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. And finally, what of the hopes and ambitions of this generation, the people who will in effect form the fabric of Irish society over the next 10 to 20 years? At an overall level, seven in ten of them still tell us that they believe "Ireland is a good place for young people", for all its faults.
As to what they feel those faults are, the level of crime and street violence is a major concern, with over six in ten worried that Irish people are becoming more racist. Older respondents worry about the economy, with half of all young adults afraid they will never be able to afford a house or apartment in Ireland.
And apart from family and friends, what are these young people likely to draw comfort from as they face into such an uncertain future? Those who profess to a belief in God are split 50/50 between those who participate in Mass and those who don't.
There is broader consensus, however, on the importance of material comfort and financial security, with seven in ten of the up and coming generation agreeing that "money is very important to me".