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Irish Times
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on young people and democracy: increasing disenchantment
The increased polarisation of European politics appears to be marching in step with an alarming growth in disillusionment among young people with democracy itself, and fears for its survival. A new 10-country survey of 16-to-26-year-olds in Europe has found only six per cent believe their country's political system functions well and does not need reform. Some 57 per cent of young people still prefer democracy to any other form of government – support is highest in Germany at 71 per cent, lowest in Poland at 48 per cent – but, ominously, 21 per cent say they would favour authoritarianism under some circumstances. Only half of young people in France and Spain believe that democracy is the best form of government, the study found. And among those who see themselves as politically to the right of centre and feel economically disadvantaged, support for democracy sinks to just one in three. Forty-eight per cent – and 61 per cent in Germany – worry that the democratic system in their own country is endangered. The survey of 6,700 young people by YouGov was carried out for the German TUI Foundation. It did not include Ireland. READ MORE Political polarisation is deepening, manifested most clearly in the rise of populist parties: 19 per cent now identify with the right, up a quarter since 2021, 33 per cent with the centre, and an unchanged 32 per cent with the left. Sixteen per cent claim no label. The survey also found a widening gender divide, with women, in particular in Germany, France and Italy reporting increasing support for progressive views while young men, notably in Poland and Greece, have swung to the right. The poll also found 73 per cent of British young people want the UK to rejoin the EU. The growing alienation from politics and political institutions reflects the sense among young people that the system has failed them and that their parents' generation has abanoned them. The survey is a timely, important warning that doing things in the old way will not be enough.
Al Etihad
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Etihad
Survey: Young Germans oppose reintroducing military service, back EU
3 July 2025 15:02 BERLIN (dpa)Young people in Germany increasingly oppose military service, a study revealed on Thursday, amid calls for the measure to be reintroduced to strengthen the country's armed forces.A YouGov study carried out for the TUI Foundation found that 55% of 16 to 26-year-old German residents reject a general military service programme, while 38% were in from the survey two years ago had 42% of young people in Germany supporting the policy, with 47% against German government has pledged to reinforce its military, the Bundeswehr, to meet the threat from Moscow in the wake of the Ukrainian coalition between Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democratic Union, the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union and the centre-left Social Democrats has agreed to increase recruitment via a voluntary military service pressure is rising on Defence Minister Boris Pistorius to agree to a compulsory draft. Young Germans support the EUA large majority of young Germans favour remaining in the European Union, the survey found. At 80%, support was higher than in any other European country surveyed. In the United Kingdom, which withdrew from the bloc following the 2016 Brexit referendum, some 73% of 16 to 26-year-olds would like to rejoin the study found rising levels of polarisation among young people in Germany, with 43% describing themselves as left of centre and 14% as right-wing, up from 32% and 8% respectively in was seen as the most important political problem in the EU for 45% of young Germans, ahead of climate change and environmental protection, and foreign policy and defence, both on 39%. A total of 6,703 young people from seven European countries participated in the survey between April and May.
