Young People Vote Right in Europe

The upcoming European Parliament elections could be a major test of strength in the European countries. In France and Germany, for example, there is growing discontent among young people, who appears to be gravitating towards the right rather than the governing parties, in both countries.

The fate of Europe could be decided in the polling booths in June (Photo: Belga via AFP/JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE)

Discontent is growing

Growing Euroscepticism among young people is a phenomenon that is not unique to France. The "Jugend in Deutschland 2024" survey found that the younger generation is increasingly dissatisfied compared to survey results from previous years. In the wake of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, people's economic and political concerns about the future are also growing, with many worried about inflation, high rental fees, the Ukraine war and the military conflict in the Middle East, as well as social divisions. 

According to the authors, it appears as if the coronavirus outbreak had left a thorn in people's confidence, reflected in their persistent and profound sense of insecurity.

In a political sense, respondents are increasingly turning towards the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. 22% of 14-29 year olds who have any party preference at all and would like to vote would be willing to cast their ballots for AfD. This is more than twice as many as two years ago.

There is a clear shift to the right among young people,

– sociologist Klaus Hurrelmann said. Compared with the 2019 youth survey, the social approval of accepting so many refugees has dropped from 57 percentr to just 26 percent. The popularity of the Greens among young people has decreased from 27 to 18 percent. The co-ruling Liberals' popularity fell from 19 percent to 8 percent in the survey, while the largest governing party, the Social Democrats, would only garner 12 percent among young people. The survey also found that the alliance of the Christian Democratic Union and the Bavarian Christian Social Union party improved from 16 to 20 percent among young people.

Cover photo: The fate of Europe could be decided in the polling booths in June (Photo: Belga via AFP/James Arthur Gekiere)