{"id":32454,"date":"2025-07-15T14:44:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T14:44:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/democracy-on-the-edge-young-europeans-are-losing-faith\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T08:48:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T08:48:00","slug":"demokracia-na-hrane-mladi-europania-stracaju-vieru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/sk\/demokracia-na-hrane-mladi-europania-stracaju-vieru\/","title":{"rendered":"Demokracia na hrane: mlad\u00ed Eur\u00f3pania str\u00e1caj\u00fa vieru"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Democracy under pressure<\/b><\/h2>\n

A recent study surveyed 6,768 young people from seven countries: the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Poland. The <\/span>polls<\/span><\/a> were conducted this spring, in April and May. On average, 57% of participants said they prefer democracy as their system of government. In Germany, that figure was much higher \u2013 71% \u2013 showing strong trust in democratic values.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Poland, Spain, and France, the results were noticeably lower. Only 48% of young Poles supported democracy, 52% in France, and 51% in Spain. At the same time, more young people are becoming open to alternative ways of running a country. As many as 21% of all respondents said they could accept an authoritarian government under certain \u2013 unspecified \u2013 conditions. In Poland, this figure was even higher, at 23%, placing the country among the top three alongside France and Spain.<\/span><\/p>\n

One in ten young Europeans admitted they don\u2019t really care what political system their country has. Another 14% couldn\u2019t decide either way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDemocracy is under pressure today, both from within and from outside,\u201d <\/span>warns<\/span><\/a> Professor <\/span>Thorsten Faas, a political scientist from the Free University of Berlin and co-author of the report. He points out that what\u2019s especially worrying is that among young right-leaning people who feel economically left behind, support for democracy falls to just one third.<\/span><\/p>\n

Growing Worries About the Future <\/p>\n

Almost half of young Europeans are worried about the future of democracy. In Poland, 48% expressed concern about where democracy is heading, and in Germany, that figure was as high as 61%. That\u2019s a significant shift, considering Germany was recently seen as a symbol of stability.<\/span><\/p>\n

A similar level of anxiety was recorded in Spain and France, countries facing social tensions, economic problems, and a rise in populist attitudes.<\/span><\/p>\n

When asked which countries and organisations have the biggest influence on the world today, young Europeans most often pointed to the United States (83%), China (75%), and Russia (57%). The European Union came only fourth \u2013 just 42% saw it as a key player. Interestingly, in the UK \u2013 even after Brexit \u2013 half of young people still consider the EU an important global force, and 73% would like Britain to rejoin.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite growing criticism, two-thirds of young Europeans want their countries to remain in the EU. Almost half (47%) also support closer cooperation between the EU and the UK<\/span><\/p>\n

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Democracy in Europe\/ Photo: Canva<\/span><\/p>\n

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Democracy in Europe\/ Photo: Canva<\/p>\n

Polarization and a Conservative Shift <\/p>\n

The study shows political polarisation among young Europeans is getting stronger. Back in 2021, 14% identified as right-wing \u2013 now it\u2019s 19%. The biggest group are centrists (33%), followed by the left (32%). About 16% don\u2019t associate with any political side.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a clear gender gap. In Germany, France, and Italy, young women tend to choose more progressive options. Meanwhile, young men in Poland and Greece are increasingly leaning towards conservative views \u2013 something that used to be typical mostly of older generations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Support for stricter migration policies is also growing. Over the last four years, it jumped from 26% to 38%.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though most respondents still back EU membership, 53% believe Brussels focuses too much on unimportant issues, and 39% see the EU as undemocratic. Only 6% think their own national governments are working well and don\u2019t need any reforms. Skepticism is especially strong in Greece, where memories of the debt crisis and the tough reforms imposed by European lenders are still fresh.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to those surveyed, the EU should focus mainly on three big priorities: reducing the cost of living, strengthening external defence, and supporting business and entrepreneurship.<\/span><\/p>\n

Climate losing ground<\/b><\/h2>\n

Although concern for the environment still features in what young Europeans say, more and more of them are putting economic interests first. Only about one in three said fighting climate change should be a priority over economic growth. That\u2019s an 11-point drop compared to 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe European project, which for decades brought peace, freedom of movement, and dynamic growth, is now seen by many young people as too bureaucratic and ineffective,\u201d <\/span>sums up<\/span><\/a> Elke Hlawatschek, director of the TUI Foundation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The results of this study clearly show that young Poles \u2013 even more than their peers in other countries \u2013 are losing faith in democracy and EU institutions. This is not just a warning for politicians but a call to society as a whole. Rebuilding trust among young people who are just entering adulthood should be a top priority in public debate \u2013 if Europe wants to avoid a future marked by apathy, disappointment, and a shift towards authoritarianism.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Democracy under pressure A recent study surveyed 6,768 young people from seven countries: the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Poland. The polls were conducted this spring, in April and May. On average, 57% […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":227,"featured_media":28592,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[727,571],"tags":[5008,5009,5010,5011,5012,5013,1801,1178,5014,3081,5015,5016,4570,5017,5018],"post_formats":[673],"coauthors":[4032],"class_list":["post-32454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mladez","category-vseobecne","tag-authoritarianism-rise-sk","tag-brexit-impact-sk","tag-climate-change-priorities-sk","tag-democracy-future-sk","tag-democracy-under-pressure-sk","tag-economic-concerns-sk","tag-eu-trust-sk","tag-european-union-sk","tag-migration-policies-sk","tag-political-polarization-sk","tag-public-opinion-sk","tag-social-tensions-sk","tag-young-europeans-sk","tag-youth-engagement-sk","tag-youth-political-views-sk","post_formats-clanky"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/227"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32454"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32461,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32454\/revisions\/32461"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32454"},{"taxonomy":"post_formats","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=32454"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/sk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=32454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}