The political cynicism of the nation's 18-25year-olds would seem to have permeated down to the coming generation with more than a quarter of second-level students claiming they would not exercise their vote in a general election - even if they had one.

This, along with other trends, is identified in a survey published by the National Youth Council of Ireland. It indicates that 26 per cent of the 464 students who responded, from a wide spread of schools across the State, have no interest in voting.

Those who say they would vote appear to fall into either conservative or radical categories, opting to support either Fianna Fail or Sinn Fein disproportionately.

Asked about study and homework outside of the classroom, almost 23 per cent of students said they study for less than three hours per week. At the upper end, 26 per cent admitted to 12 or more hours of study per week. The survey found that 48 per cent of students are involved in part-time remunerative work.

The Youth Council hopes the survey, which also examined how student councils operate in schools, will encourage the participation of young people in decision-making within schools and the wider society. The council plans to develop a resource pack to help with this task.