Young Non-Voters and Ethnic Tribune Politics in Northern Ireland: Beyond Apathy and Engaged Scepticism.

This article examines the perspectives of young non-voters in Northern Ireland, focusing on their relationship with the region's distinctive ethnic tribune politics—where political parties primarily represent ethno-national identities. It finds that young non-voters are a diverse group, including those who are politically apathetic, engaged sceptics critical of the dominant unionist and nationalist parties, and a newly identified category termed "tuned outs," who are interested in political issues broadly but feel disconnected from party politics and lack confidence to engage electorally. The study highlights that many young non-voters express dissatisfaction with the prevailing political system and desire greater political literacy education to better navigate electoral politics. These findings suggest that youth abstention in Northern Ireland cannot be fully understood through existing models of political engagement and that ethnic tribune dynamics play a complex role in shaping young people's voting behavior.