Slightly more than a third of adolescent voters aged 16 and 17 are not interested in politics, with roughly the same number having a lukewarm interest, according to a recent university study.

Only 27 per cent said they were keen on politics, the research published in the Journal of Youth Studies shows. However, 85 per cent of those surveyed understood the responsibility that came with voting.

There are around 8,000 adolescents in this age group who can now vote in the next general and European elections, following a 2018 constitutional amendment that lowered the voting age to 16.

The study, called Political interest, recognition and acceptance of voting responsibility, and electoral participation: a young people’s perspective, was carried out by Maria Borg and Andrew Azzopardi from the University of Malta’s Faculty for Social Well-being. It is based on questionnaires with 143 participants and has an eight per cent margin of error.

Two-thirds of the respondents were women, while the majority – 58 per cent – were 16-year-olds. Most were full-time students and around 14 per cent also worked, while only 3.5 per cent reported they were working and had stopped their studies. An even lower fraction was neither studying nor in employment.

When asked to rate their level of personal interest in politics, 36 per cent opted for the middle road. A further 35 reported a low level of interest, while 27 per cent said they had a high interest in politics.

Similarly, only 21 per cent said they follow political news very often. Double that amount – 40 per cent – occasionally keep up with political news, while a third rarely do so.

Malta is not the priority... but rather the money in their pocket

According to the researchers, the claim that the majority of participants follow political news sporadically is “promising”, however, it does not guarantee high levels of political interest among this proportion of the population.

In fact, 44 per cent of respondent rarely participate in discussions about politics, and a further 17 per cent never engage in such talk.

This suggests either a lack of political interest, a lack of opportunity for discussion, or reluctance to disclose their political opinion, the researchers added.

Despite the seemingly lukewarm interest in politics, more than eight out of every 10 participants linked some level of responsibility with voting.

When asked to rank their extent of responsibility in going to the polls, some 85 per cent said they felt moderately to highly responsible to participate in the voting process.

One participant noted that “a person becomes more mature when given the right to vote because that person becomes more attached to the real world they live in”.

On the other hand, some participants felt the burden of a new pressure that they had not experienced before. For one adolescent voter, “pressure from family members has increased in terms of making sure we vote and to the right party”.

Will your vote bring change?

A large number of participants (47 per cent) believe their vote holds significant value, while a third expressed doubt over how it could bring about change.

A noticeable minority – 20 per cent – believe their vote is inconsequential.

The researchers note that in the study many expressed satisfaction at being entrusted with this right at such a young age.

Most notably, two female respondents were appreciative of the historical significance of suffrage, given how previous generations had been excluded from exercising this right.

Meanwhile, those who said they might not vote expressed dissatisfaction with the current political situation.

One respondent noted how “all they do is offend families and make fun of others”, while another expressed disappointment at the current “level of corruption”.

“Malta is not the priority for whoever is in power, but rather the money in their pocket, be it party A or party B,” one participant said.