Publication

Young People, EU Citizenship and Activism

10.05.2019

We often hear that “Brussels is too far away” from the EU citizens, especially from the young people. With each EP election, on average, the turnout has been decreasing. Nationalism—driven by populism and Euroscepticism—is becoming more and more entrenched, jeopardising European citizenship and democracy, the cornerstones for the success of the European project. What to do? How to enhance citizens' understanding of the EU, broaden ownership of the European project and build trust in the EU's promise of a better future for all?

 This comparative report “Young People, EU Citizenship and Activism” provides an insight into the perceptions of young people from four different countries related to their attitudes towards the European Union (EU), their understanding of EU citizenship and activism. As potential new leaders, it is important to “feel the pulse” of the thoughts of today’s youth on belonging (or not) to the European community. Such data is a valuable tool to help predict voting choices in the upcoming European Parliament (EP) elections as well as to provide a basis for a possible trending line of European integration developments in the future.

 

 

 The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsi­ble for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

 The project is financially supported by the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union.