FORGET Gen Y - call them Gen Why Bother Voting.

Our pollies may be battling over thorny election-year issues such as climate change, boat people and health care, but young voters care more about the doomed girl-meets-vampire romance of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga.

Four in five under-30s have no trouble identifying Edward Cullen, the angst-ridden, vegetable-eschewing hero played by Robert Pattinson in the film adaptations of the best-selling novels.

They're a bit hazy, however, when it comes to flesh-and-blood Australians. Just one in three Gen Y voters can name the Opposition Leader in their home state, the survey of 1001 Australians aged 18-30 revealed.

Only one in four could identify Quentin Bryce as our Governor-General, while a mere one in 20 knew Prof Patrick McGorry was Australian of the Year, says research conducted by PureProfile for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Victorian Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu appeared unfazed by the survey results.

"I am very confident young Victorians care a lot about their community and issues that matter to them," he said.

Advertising guru Neil Lawrence, the creative brains behind the Kevin 07 campaign, said young Australians' lack of engagement with the democratic process was an issue. "Most people under 30 are making increasing use of new media, and social media in particular," he said.

"I'm sure the people promoting Twilight would have made great use of them. There'd be lots of blogs and chat-rooms. But most politicians, let alone Governors-General, aren't really making use of the new media young people use."