These responses can be characterised as 'pragmatic' regarding the Northern Ireland situation. The words 'accommodation' and 'compromise' were obviously untainted for these young people, and used regularly to describe how progress should be made. While some members of political parties did offer party lines, even in that category the majority took a non-judgmental position. This survey outlines the views of 1,300 young people in Northern Ireland on politics, politicians and political parties. The main conclusions are unequivocal.
Young people feel alienated and let down by politicians and by the parties.
They do not feel their interests or concerns are being addressed. To the limited extent that they are active in politics, it is more likely to be through campaigning groups rather than more traditional social movements. This is particularly true of young women, who are less likely to be involved in political parties and more likely to be involved in campaigning groups than young men. They would even like to learn more about politics in school. Thus, while young people feel marginalised from the political establishment, this is not because they are marginalised from politics.