Why We Exist

Ireland is a striking example of an age-based turnout gap. Nine out of ten voters over the age of 60 reported that they voted in the last election, while only slightly more than half of respondents under the age of 35 claimed to have vote. The age gap in turnout can pose additional problems. Many policy areas, such as housing, environmental protection, and pension reforms, require long-term solutions and disproportionately affect younger voters. If younger voters abstain, parties and candidates may prioritise the preferences of older voters, potentially to the detriment of younger generation. Too many young people feel that politics doesn’t speak to them — or worse, that it doesn’t matter. But the truth is:

“If you don’t vote, someone else votes for you.”

Diffusion of Responsibility

In the above clip, Bart loses out on becoming class president because his peers are so distracted by his campaign buzz that they lose sight of the most important part of the election process. In real life, this phenomenon occurs when a person is less likely to take responsibility for an action or inaction when others are present. The responsibility is diffused among the group. In this case, a person might feel that because there are millions of other people who can vote, their personal responsibility to do so is minimal. This can lead to a bystander effect, where everyone assumes someone else will act, and as a result, no one does.

Whether you participate or not in politics, policy affects where you and your parents live, whether you go to college, whether you get a job, how much that job pays, how you move when you leave your house, your health and your sense of security, the prices you pay, the choices you have and the quality you receive. When voting, it doesnt matter if you dont feel you know enough or as much as someone else. Its your right to participate and you likely know more than you think.

What We Aim To Do

• Break down the difference between broad economic models like neoliberalism and social democracy — why public investment and private innovation matters and what they look like.
• Show how policy decisions affect real life: e.g., tax cuts for corporate landlords or large shareholders, or raising inheritance bands too high can drive up house prices and reduce available public funding.
• Promote affordable and social housing and explain the economic impacts of underinvestment.
• Connect climate issues — like transport and energy policy — to everyday political choices.

Our Focus

• Compare policies in simple and fair language
• Promote ideas that support climate action, equity, and economic fairness
• Encourage young people to engage and vote with confidence

Get Involved

Whether you’re curious about voting, worried about housing, or passionate about the planet, Equity Éire is here to help connect the dots. We are committed to transparency, justice, and a better Ireland. We will openly critique policies which we believe hurt social mobility or progress on managing the climate crisis. As economist Gary Stevenson says, young people have been taught to play the game very competitively, but we need to stick together in order to improve our lives. Millennials, Gen-Z, working class and middle class. We can unite against mass concentration of wealth and stop the next generation from becoming even poorer than their parents in terms of home ownership and stability.