this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2025
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44
Young Europeans losing faith in democracy, poll finds (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 3 weeks ago by schizoidman@lemmy.zip to c/europe@feddit.org
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[โ€“] Hotznplotzn@lemmy.sdf.org 70 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

This is a very weird framing of this study. The original study (which is linked in the article) is in German. Those who don't speak German will find a useful translation provider, I provide the study's summary literal translation:

>Young people: EU and democracy are good, but reforms are needed

  • 57% prefer democracy to any other form of government - 39% think that the EU does not function particularly democratically
  • Young Europeans want change - 53% criticize the EU for being too preoccupied with trivialities instead of focusing on the essentials
  • Cost of living, defense against external threats and better conditions for businesses should be priorities for the EU
  • Only 42% think that the EU is one of the three most powerful global political players

Among others, the study also says (again, a direct translation, I am not paraphrasing):

48% of young Europeans believe that democracy in their country is under threat, compared to 61% in Germany. Two thirds rate their country's membership of the EU as positive. At the same time, 53% of young people criticize the fact that the EU is too often concerned with minor issues. Half of 16 to 26-year-olds think the EU is a good idea, but very poorly implemented.

I don't say that everything is perfect, but the whole study paints a completely different picture than this article - and especially its headline - appears to suggest.

[Edit my comments for clarity, translation has not been edited.]

[โ€“] INeedMana@piefed.zip 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Now I wish we could cross-post comments too

[โ€“] Hotznplotzn@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Done :-)

[โ€“] INeedMana@piefed.zip 3 points 3 weeks ago

Woah, magic! :)

[โ€“] randomname@scribe.disroot.org 24 points 3 weeks ago

All you need is a clickbait headline and an absurdly bad interpretation of a study, and you see doomerism (and some tankies) in full force.

As someone already wrote in this thread, the study has a different outcome than what the title suggests. I encourage everyone to click the original study link (it's in German, but there is DeepL and the like ...).

The young European don't loose faith in democracy, but I have been loosing faith in the Guardian for some time.

[โ€“] trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works 17 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

How would people not lose faith in a perverted form of democracy, where pretty much all you can vote for are different collections of lying self serving bastards employed by the ultra rich in order to fuck over ordinary people for their profits?

[โ€“] alleycat@feddit.org 15 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

That's bullshit. There are plenty non-corrupt parties on the ballot. It's just that voters willingly vote for the "collections of lying self serving bastards employed by the ultra rich". Turns out you can't vote for murdering migrants at the border without getting morally bankrupt bastards in the government.

[โ€“] trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works 9 points 3 weeks ago

They start out non corrupt due to lack of opportunity. As soon as they gain power, they will become increasingly corrupted. The nature of politics strongly favours ruthless careerists, and in the end that leads to the large and powerful parties mostly consisting of people who would sell their own grandmother for personal profit.

[โ€“] Hubi@feddit.org 9 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

This is unnecessary doomerism IMO. There are plenty of parties and politicians out there willing to make a difference.

[โ€“] trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works 11 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I don't buy that they are "willing" anymore. I've been lied to and betrayed by far too many politicians on every governmental level, and from all kinds of different parties, and as long as they face exactly zero consequences for essentially defrauding their voters, this won't change.

[โ€“] Vincent@feddit.nl 6 points 3 weeks ago

Well, as long as voters think they're all the same (and thus they might as well not vote, or vote for the ones who've actually done the lying), then yes, they will have zero consequences.

[โ€“] bungalowtill@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Do you see chances of creating a new APO?

[โ€“] trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Look where the 1968 APO ended up. They got corrupted by the time they were able to occupy powerful positions.

[โ€“] bungalowtill@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 weeks ago

You mean the ones that left the APO and went on the march through the institutions?

The 1960sโ€™ APO was surprisingly small. I guess weโ€™d need something bigger anyway.

[โ€“] FurryMemesAccount@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 3 weeks ago

Usually in the wrong direction.

In my country, which is part of the Europe, the only decent parties, in my view, do <1% of the vote...

A swiss-like system would be a good start, with a more direct, horizontal democracy, but basically nobody advocates for it.

[โ€“] ddplf@szmer.info 8 points 3 weeks ago

Which is why people want the return of authocracy, where the self serving bastards no longer have to even try.

The 1% needs to hang, that's the only way to ensure the wellbeing of a common man.

[โ€“] solsangraal@lemmy.zip 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

just wait until your country willfully cedes power to a fascist dictator...

inb4 "it'll never happen," etc

that's exactly what everyone in the states said

[โ€“] manualoverride@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Farrage is already peddling the project 2025 playbook and the morons that vote for him are lapping it up.

[โ€“] solsangraal@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 weeks ago

at least those morons don't have a special room dedicated to their assault weapons, the way the ones in america do

[โ€“] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

They are losing faith in the current system certainly. Corpoganda can easily convince them that they're dissatisfied with the only redeemable aspect of the status quo

[โ€“] trollercoaster@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The current system has some fatal flaws: It is reliably and repeatedly failing at holding politicians accountable for their actions and forcing them to actually do what they promised before the election. It also strongly favours parties and politicians backed by people and corporations with deep pockets.

Unless there is accountability, the system will ultimately fail. Unfortunately, those who could introduce such accountability, are exactly the same people who greatly profit from there being none.

[โ€“] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

People are not exerting enough of their political will in a material way. All this energy we (myself included) put into having these perfect little opinions on the internet should really be directed at in-person protests, organising, and demanding better. Really shouting in faces type of stuff. That's what's up.