The YouGov poll for Germany’s Tui Foundation questioned 6,768 people aged 16-26 in Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Greece and Poland during April and May. It was the study’s ninth annual edition.
Overall, 57% said democracy was preferable, but support slid to 52% in France, 51% in Spain and 48% in Poland; Germany scored 71%. Authoritarian alternatives appealed to 21% of respondents, peaking at 24% in Italy and dipping to 15% in Germany. Nearly 10% were indifferent to the governing system and 14% were undecided.
“Democracy is under pressure, from within and without,” said Thorsten Faas, a political scientist at Berlin’s Free University.
Among those who place themselves on the right and feel economically disadvantaged, he added, barely “one in three” back democracy.
Four in ten participants (48%) fear their own democracy is endangered, including 61% of Germans, where Europe’s biggest economy is struggling and the far right has made noticeable gains among young voters. Spain and France posted almost identical anxiety levels at 49%.
When asked which powers shape world affairs, 83% named the United States, 75% China and 57% Russia, while only 42% included the European Union.
The EU fared best among Britons, half of whom still see it as a top-three actor despite Brexit.
Seventy-three per cent of British respondents said the United Kingdom should return to the bloc.
Across all seven countries, two-thirds would keep their nation in the EU and 47% want closer EU-UK co-operation.
Even so, 53% complain Brussels obsesses over minor details, 39% call the Union “not particularly democratic” and only 6% say their national government works well without major reform.
Greeks, scarred by the euro-zone debt crisis, are the most skeptical and see the greatest need for an overhaul.
Respondents said the EU should focus on reducing living costs, strengthening external defense and improving the business climate.
The survey also found a widening gender divide, with women in three western countries reporting more progressive views and men in Poland and Greece swinging conservative, mirroring trends among older voters.
Political polarization is deepening: 19% now identify with the right (up from 14% in 2021), 33% with the center, 32% with the left and 16% claim no label.
Support for stricter immigration controls has climbed to 38%, up from 26% four years ago. Only one in three still puts climate protection ahead of economic growth, down 11 percentage points since 2021.
“Young people remain hopeful about Europe but want action on living costs, defense and jobs,” said Tui Foundation head Elke Hlawatschek.
(jh)
Source: The Guardian, EuroWeekly, TUI Stiftung