Large majority of young people in Germany believe they have no influence on the government
A large majority of German youth, according to a study, believe they have no influence on the government. According to the study's authors, who announced the findings on Tuesday in Berlin, 78 of the interviewees between the ages of 12 and 16 made this statement in a representative study conducted by Bielefeld University. The study, known as the "Social Study 2023/2024," was commissioned by the Bepanthen-Children's Foundation of the pharmaceutical company Bayer.
72 percent of the youth expressed the conviction that politicians do not care much about what young people think. More than half of the interviewees, 57 percent, even stated that they did not want to tackle the most pressing issues of society.
Despite the fact that many young people feel disconnected from society and politics, they still expressed concerns for other social groups, such as the elderly, according to study leader Holger Ziegler of Bielefeld University. The study found that 65 percent of young people believe too little is being done for this group. "The prejudices against the younger generation, that they only care about themselves, cannot be confirmed in our study," Ziegler stated.
The other areas in which young people feel that not enough is being done, according to their perspective, are equal living conditions (62 percent), education (62 percent), and poverty (61 percent). The study shows significant differences in the experience of injustice depending on socio-economic status. If the status is low, 37 percent of young people reported experiencing injustice as a norm in their lives. However, only 18 percent of young people with high status reported this.
Children between the ages of six and eleven were also surveyed for the study. Fifty-nine percent of children with a low status reported feeling that Germany is unfair. Among children with a high status, this was reported by 14 percent.
- The study revealed that a large representative sample of German young people, aged 12 to 16, believe they have minimal influence on the government.
- Despite expressing little faith in politicians' care for their thoughts, many young people in the study expressed concerns about societal issues, such as poverty and education, indicating they care about more than just themselves.
- Germany's government should take notice of these findings and consider how they can better engage and represent the influential opinions of young people in its decision-making processes, as they represent a significant portion of the population.
- The Social Study 2023/2024, conducted by Bielefeld University and commissioned by the Bepanthen-Children's Foundation, sheds light on the Government's influence over German youth and the potential impact of the majority's perceived disconnect from politics on society as a whole.
