A new poll has revealed that a significant number of young Europeans, including Britons, are losing faith in democracy. The survey, conducted by YouGov for the Tui Foundation, found that only 57% of Generation Z respondents across Europe believe democracy is the best form of government. Support was lowest in Poland (48%), Spain and France (51-52%), while Germany had the highest at 71%.
More than one in five (21%) said they would favour authoritarian rule under certain circumstances, with Italy highest at 24% and Germany lowest at 15%. In France, Spain and Poland, the figure was 23%. Nearly 10% said they did not care whether their government was democratic or not, and 14% were unsure or did not answer.
The study, which surveyed over 6,700 people aged 16-26 in Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Greece and Poland, also found that 48% worry democracy in their own country is endangered. This concern was highest in Germany at 61%, where the far right has gained support from young voters. Thorsten Faas, a political scientist at Berlin’s Free University, noted that support for democracy drops to just one in three among those who see themselves as right of centre and feel economically disadvantaged.
Despite Brexit, 73% of young Britons wanted a return to the EU, and nearly half of young Europeans sought stronger ties between the EU and Britain. However, 39% described the EU as not particularly democratic, and only 6% said their national governments worked well. The poll also highlighted a gender divide, with young women in Germany, France and Italy becoming more progressive, while young men in Poland and Greece have grown more conservative.
Support for tougher migration restrictions has risen to 38% from 26% in 2021. Meanwhile, climate protection slipped in priority, with only one in three saying it should take precedence over economic growth, down from 44% in 2021. Elke Hlawatschek, head of the Tui Foundation, said: “The European project, which has brought us peace, freedom of movement and economic progress for decades, is seen as unwieldy.”
