Up to a decade ago, most young Europeans voted for parties advocating climate action, social justice and democratic reform. Today, this is no longer a viable political strategy.
The last European Parliament elections showed more young Europeans shifting to the far-right, enabling Eurosceptic, anti-immigrant and anti-establishment parties to make significant gains. So, why are young Europeans so angry? It is too easy to blame young people’s presumed lack of social values and sticking labels like “conservatives”, “right-wing” or even “extremist” on Europe’s younger generations.
Societal leaders must understand the true nature of the challenges young people in Europe face. It is dangerous for older generations to occupy the moral high ground and gloat at their own “glorious” youth, and how times were so much better when young people militated in the traditional progressive political parties. Progressive parties have long counted on young people to champion their causes. Still, there is undeniable evidence that the political landscape is changing fast.
Around the world, a new youth politics is emerging. While not always aligned with the rising popularity of the far-right, young people today are increasingly becoming anti-status quo. The average young person can care deeply about issues like climate change and the effect this has on people’s lives. However, there are more pressing issues, including economic insecurity, education and labour market failures, identity issues, and the perceived unfairness of intergenerational burden-sharing.
Not all young people react the same way when facing these challenges. Cynicism is one reaction. Many young people feel that “politics is not for us”. They think traditional politicians do not listen to or care about them. Cynicism is often combined with disaffection with politicians.
More young people refuse to engage with the news because it is always depressing. They do not engage in politics because it is full of meaningless noise and people shouting at each other. Sadly, this disaffection, this sense of futility, is a symptom of the failure of democracy. The fact that so many young people feel trapped in a political system not built for them is indeed worrying.
The only way to restore faith in democracy is engagement and a commitment from leaders to listen
Across Europe, economic security is the highest concern among the young generations. For a large part of their lives, younger generations have lived through a series of crises, none of them truly solved. Many European countries have amassed debt to cope with crises, rather than undertake the formidable challenge of addressing structural socio-economic weaknesses. Of course, younger generations have every reason to fret about having to pay off these debts during their lives.
The education system in most countries is also not preparing well enough young people for the challenges of today’s economic realities. Many end up being underqualified or with the wrong qualifications, which prevents them from landing a well-paid job.
Among all economic grievances, having no perspective of ever owning a decent home ranks the most important among younger Europeans. Owning property is paramount for promoting social cohesion, belief in a market-based economy and trust in a democratic order. While politicians like to project themselves as champions of the middle class, the economic basis of this sector of society is eroding fast and young people are more affected than others.
Fundamental cultural changes also reinforce the stress factors that young Europeans are experiencing. After decades of social secularisation and less reliance on tradition, some younger Europeans, especially migrants, struggle to establish a stable identity. The fluidity of gender concepts, for instance, worries some younger people and encourages them to embrace more traditional values and roles.
Equally important, younger European generations are, and will be, most affected by the unsolved challenge of mass migration and failed integration, including young migrants themselves.
Despite being labelled sustainable, many political decisions are clearly biased in terms of following the principle of equal living changes for all generations. Politicians see more partisan political gain by addressing the concerns and interests of the grey generations, rather than supporting young people to look at the future optimistically. A recalibration of intergenerational burden-sharing has never been more urgent.
To win back disaffected young people, it is not enough for political leaders to include more young people in their governance structures, their traditional communication activities and media photo opportunities. They must offer young people a future they can believe in and embrace the media platforms where they live.
Ultimately, the only way to restore faith in democracy is engagement and a commitment from leaders to listen, rather than a hardline agenda that ignores the perspective of young people.