The upcoming European Parliament elections, set to take place from June 6 to 9, 2024, are crucial not only for EU citizens but also for key issues globally.
YOUNG EU VOTERS TOP CONCERNS
Earlier this year, ARTE teamed up with market research company BVA XSIGHT to poll more than 22,000 Europeans of all ages about how they see Europe and the issues that are important to them.
HEALTH
Europe’s young people have a wide range of opinions. And yet, the survey revealed one worry that unites 16- to 29-year-olds. 35% describe it as their primary concern.
RUSSIA’S WAR
It is a major cause of anxiety for one in three.
Ukraine could be just the first step. Russia might threaten us directly, said a young respondent from Poland.
In countries geographically closer to Russia, a higher percentage of young people see war as their main concern compared to those in countries farther away.
- Estonia: 52%
- Latvia: 45%
- Poland: 52%
- Germany: 35%
- Slovakia: 47%
ENVIRONMENT
Another key issue. In fact, it’s the number one concern for 24% of young people.
«It’s scary; we’re going to die due to the heat,» said a young respondent from Rome.
However, the climate doesn’t seem to be of more concern to young people than it is to older respondents. It turns out that 16- to 29-year-olds are actually fairly reluctant to support tough measures to tackle climate change, such as restricting air travel or paying more for goods produced with fewer pesticides.
UNEMPLOYMENT
This is where the under-30s do stand out. Unemployment is the chief concern for 20%.
HOUSING & EDUCATION
For 18%, housing is the main concern, and for the same percentage, it’s education.
IMMIGRATION
Only 9% say immigration is their main concern, which is half of the survey average. A young respondent from Strasbourg stated, “People who have immigrated here take up many jobs that support society today.”
16- to 29-year-olds are the most optimistic about European politics. They are more likely than average to believe that decisions made by the European Union positively impact their lives, so in general, they’re supportive of the EU.
«It’s a place where you can be yourself, where there are many opportunities and a lot of diversity,» said a young respondent from Berlin.
Will they go and vote?
On the one hand, the responses from 16- to 29-year-olds show they’re the least interested in this election, so there’s this common idea that young people don’t bother to go and vote. However, in the last EU elections in 2019, overall turnout was the highest it’s been since the ’90s, and that’s because of a surge of voters under 30, so they could really drive EU politics and have an influence on which issues get more attention.
Actually, the recent Eurobarometer survey ‚Youth and Democracy’ (https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3181) shows the following trends.
YOUNG EUROPEANS: INTENTION TO VOTE
More than six in ten (64%) young EU citizens express their intention to vote in the upcoming European elections, while 13% indicate they will not vote despite being eligible. The remaining respondents fall into the categories of non-eligible voters (8%), those unsure about their eligibility or intention to vote (9%), and those who prefer not to answer the question (5%).
In 24 Member States, a majority of respondents indicate they intend to vote in the upcoming European elections, with the highest numbers observed in Romania (78%) and Portugal (77%). The share of likely voters is lower in Malta (47%), Latvia (46%), and Luxembourg (41%). In Bulgaria and Latvia,
In Luxembourg, Malta, and the Netherlands, more than one in five respondents replied they would not vote despite being eligible (between 21% and 31%).
SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CONSIDERATIONS
Differences in intention to vote in the upcoming European elections across genders and age groups are limited. Young women (66%) are slightly more likely to express their intention to vote than young men (63%). Those aged 25–30 (70%) are slightly more likely to indicate they intend to vote than those aged 19–24 (67%).
We observe a more pronounced difference across educational groups. Young people with post-secondary or high education show a significantly higher voting intention (72%) than those with secondary education or lower (55%).
Motivations not to vote
Young people who expressed hesitancy or uncertainty about their participation in the upcoming European elections were presented with ten reasons that may explain their response.
The chart below reveals that less than 20% of these respondents selected each of the reasons—from 7% for “opposed to the EU” to 19% for “not being interested in politics in general” and “the belief that voting will not change anything.”
YOUNG EUROPEANS EXPECTATIONS
We also asked young people what they expected from the EU for their generation, allowing them to select up to three answers from a list of nine.
In the first place, preserving peace, reinforcing international security, and promoting international cooperation are all things that 37% of respondents expect from the EU. The next three areas that 37% of respondents expect the EU to focus on are fighting poverty and economic and social inequalities, promoting human rights, and promoting democracy.
Common European values (30%) and increasing job opportunities for young people (28%) are among the priorities. About a quarter of young people (26%) expect the EU to promote environmentally friendly policies and fight climate change, and about a fifth (21%) expect more inclusive societies, including gender equality and anti-discrimination.
Respondents are less likely to expect the EU to play a strong role in dealing with health challenges (17%), bringing young people from different parts of the EU together (14%), or promoting the digitalization of society (13%). Very small shares expect something else from the EU (3%) or ‘don’t know’ (6%).
Results for each country
The joint largest share of young people in 16 Member States select peace preservation, international security reinforcement, and international cooperation promotion as their generation’s expectations from the EU. Young people expect the EU to preserve peace, reinforce international security, and promote international cooperation, ranging from 29% in Spain and 30% in Ireland to 47% in Estonia and Austria.
In five Member States, the largest share of respondents expect the EU to fight poverty and economic and social inequalities. The proportion expecting this from the EU ranges from 25% in Malta and 26% in Denmark and the Netherlands, to 45% in Greece and 50% in Cyprus.
The proportion expecting the EU to promote human rights, democracy, and common European values is the highest in Sweden (44%), followed by Czechia (37%). The share of young people expecting the EU to increase job opportunities ranges from 19% in Denmark and 22% in Austria, France, and the Netherlands to 43% in Croatia and 47% in Cyprus.
SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC CONSIDERATIONS
Young women (39%) are more likely than young men (34%) to expect the EU to preserve peace, reinforce international security, and promote international cooperation. We also observe a similar pattern in promoting environmentally friendly policies, combating climate change, expanding job opportunities for young people, and battling poverty and economic and social inequalities.
Young men (17%), on the other hand, are more likely than young women (9%) to expect the EU to promote the digitalization of society.
There is also some variation across the age groups. For instance, respondents aged 25–30 (32%) are more likely to expect the EU to promote human rights, democracy, and common European values than those aged 15–18 (25%).
Respondents aged 15–18 (16%), however, are somewhat more likely than those aged 25–30 (12%) to expect the EU to bring young people from different parts of the EU together.
When looking at differences across levels of education, it is worth noting that young people with post-secondary education or higher (35%) are more likely than those with secondary education or lower (24%) to expect the EU to preserve peace, reinforce international security, and promote international cooperation.
Likewise, 34% of young people with post-secondary education or higher expect the EU to promote environmentally friendly policies and fight climate change, compared to 22% for young people with secondary education or lower education. In contrast, those with secondary education or lower (30%) are slightly more likely than those with post-secondary education or higher (26%) to expect the EU to increase job opportunities for young people.
ACTIONS THAT YOUNG EUROPEANS CONSIDER EFFECTIVE
Young people consider voting in local, national, or European elections the most effective action for making their voice heard by decision-makers; 38% of respondents select this action. In second place, 32% of respondents ranked engaging in social media, such as expressing their opinion, using hashtags, or changing their profile picture.
Between one in five and one in four young people think that the most effective action for making young people’s voice heard by decision makers is participating in student or youth organizations (26%), taking part in a public consultation on proposed political initiatives (online or offline), including in the EU Youth Dialogue (25%), participating in political movements, parties, or unions (25%), or volunteering for a charity or campaign organization (22%).
Small shares select boycotting or buying certain products for political, ethical, or environmental reasons (16%) and contacting a politician about an issue (11%) as effective actions for making their voice heard by decision makers.
Finally, 4% think that ‘other’ actions are effective in making young people’s voices heard, 5% indicate that ‘none’ of the listed actions are effective, and 6% are unsure, selecting the ‘don’t know’ response.
RISE OF THE FAR RIGHT
According to recent polls, young voters have a high level of interest in far-right parties. Young men and women often tend to have more libertarian thinking. They place more importance on economic thinking in general. So some of those parties have found an effective way of talking about these issues with youth.
Most young Europeans get their information on social media; they have also become more used to brief visual content. As a result, young people favor parties that also tend to use largely simplified or polarized messages, which is what radicals are about. The most active members of the right parties are often young, which lends them credibility.
Projections indicate that the far-right parties will perform well in the June 6–9 election, but given the sharp divisions among many national parties, particularly over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there are still serious questions about which parties would be able to cooperate as cross-border political groups.
The Kremlin doesn’t give up its efforts to interfere and sow divisions between European citizens. It has leveraged some MEPs as “influence agents” and created a relationship with certain European political parties, which then act as amplifiers of Russian propaganda and serve Russia’s interests, according to a recent investigation into the Voice of Europe platform.
On May 29, just a week before the elections, Belgian investigators searched the home and offices of an assistant at the European Parliament, who may have played a role in spreading Russian influence.
The upcoming elections offer a vital opportunity for young voters to make their voices heard, contribute to the democratic process, and ensure that the EU addresses the challenges and aspirations of its younger generation. Young voters need to make responsible choices by carefully examining the manifestos and actual activities of political parties.
