YOUNGER voters look set to snub the upcoming Holyrood elections in their droves, leading to fears that a surge in political engagement since the independence referendum is tailing off.

A new poll, published by TNS, revealed that one in four under 35s are either unlikely or certain not to vote in the election, with only half saying they will definitely participate.

The figures come in stark contrast to older potential voters surveyed, with 84 per cent of over 55s saying they will definitely cast a ballot while one in ten are unlikely or certain not to make it to the polls.

Jordan Linden, chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament, warned there is a risk of progress made in the wake of the independence vote being squandered. He said that despite 16 and 17-year-olds being allowed to vote in the Scottish Parliament elections, many were being turned off politics due to being barred from last year's general election and the upcoming EU referendum.

He added: "Our experience is that if young people feel like their voices are being heard, they are likely to be engaged. The challenge for politicians of all parties is to ensure that the issues that matter to young people are at the top of their priority list."

Pollsters said that while the disparity would not change the result of the election, which is likely to see another SNP landslide with the party winning all but a handful of constituencies, it may have an impact on the seats gained through the regional lists.

Nicola Sturgeon's party enjoys unprecedented support among younger voters, who are also far more likely to back Scottish independence, with a huge 72 per cent of committed voters under 25 planning to back the nationalists with their first vote compared to 20 per cent for Labour and less than five per cent for the Tories.

While the SNP still enjoys a commanding lead among older voters, it is less pronounced. Almost half of over 55s plan on supporting Labour or the Tories on the list, with the nationalists already facing an uphill struggle to win top-up MSPs as a result of Holyrood's voting system, meaning the party may be hit if large chunk of younger voters stay at home.

Tom Costley, head of TNS Scotland, said: "While there is no way this demographic variation is going to change the overall result, the actual level of turnout on the day and especially amongst the younger voters, is likely to have an impact on the volume of votes cast for the various parties which would then impact on the regional list distribution.

"As was seen in the independence referendum, if younger voters are engaged in the debate, they will turn out and vote; the big question is that with the momentum behind the SNP at present and the confident predictions of them securing the vast majority if not all of the constituency seats, will these voters be inclined to do so or just ignore the whole process?"