During the 1980s the organisation pursued a relatively socially liberal agenda, supporting the repeal of Ireland's homosexuality laws; a ban on the state funding on single-sex schools; and greater family planning options.

[2] In 2017, YFG members at the organisation's Summer School voted to take a neutral stance on any upcoming referendum on Ireland's Eighth Amendment governing the country's abortion laws.

An informed source, who declined to be named, told The Journal website that a petition, signed by the majority of executive council members, was hand-delivered to O’Sullivan’s home.

[citation needed] In February 2016, a YFG member posted a meme of Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald, making fun of the fact she referred to 'Booby Sands' on a leaflet, online.

"[9] In August 2019, there were calls for Foley-Walsh to resign when he and another member of the National Executive, Chloe Kennedy attended the Young America Foundation's annual conference at which many prominent Republicans including the then VP Mike Pence and Ted Cruz spoke.

[10] Foley-Walsh also come under fire for his views expressed before being elected — including his apparent victim-blaming of those murdered by right-wing terrorist Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in Oslo and Utoya in 2011.

[citation needed] In November 2021, the Kilkenny branch of YFG publicly called for the resignation of Tánaiste and party leader, Leo Varadkar, due to an ongoing Garda investigation into his leak of a confidential pay agreement document to his friend, a leader of a rival representative group to that involved in the negotiations; and low poll numbers under his leadership.