Youths abandon Green Party support, benefiting the AfD.
There are notable distinctions in voting patterns among different generations during Germany's recent European election. Reports indicate that young people are predominantly choosing conservative and right-wing populist parties, while the Green party is experiencing significant declines.
In a first for Germany, 16- and 17-year-olds were allowed to participate in this election. According to research group Wahlen, among these younger voters, the AfD and the CDU/CSU received equal support, accounting for 17% each. The Greens, on the other hand, saw a considerable drop, earning only 11% of those between 16 and 24 years old. The SPD shared 9% voting preference with Volt, the Left took 7%, and FDP and BSW trailed closely at 6%.
Additionally, the ARD stated (at 18:39) that a similar trend was observed: 17% of voters under 25 years old cast their votes for the Union and the AfD each, while the Greens claimed 11% support. The SPD garnered 9%, followed by Volt.
Market researcher Infratest dimap found that among voters under 25 years old, the AfD and the Union each garnered 17% of the votes. The Greens received 11%, the SPD 9%, and the remainder was divided between the FDP, BSW, and other parties.
The Green party received the most significant decrease in support from younger voters, with an 18% decline in those under 30 years old, according to ZDF's 18:00 forecast. At the same time, the AfD gained 10% in this age group. Volt saw a 9% increase, while BSW gained 6%. Other party changes were relatively minor.
ARD's Wahlanalyse revealed that a greater proportion of young voters voted for the AfD than their older counterparts. 12% of voters aged 60 and over opted for the AfD, as opposed to the 17% of those under 25 years old. Meanwhile, the Greens experienced a more modest difference - 9% favored them among older voters compared to 11% among younger voters. "The rightward shift is extremely worrying," said Green top candidate Terry Reintke upon reacting to the results on ZDF.
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In contrast to the support shown by older voters, the AfD received more votes from younger Germans, aged under 25, in the European elections, with 17% of their vote going to the right-wing populist party. This shift in voting patterns is contributing to the significant decline in support for Alliance 90/The Greens, who only managed to garner 11% of the vote from this age group.
