Youth support for democracy in Europe

On Tuesday 23 January 2024, we presented the policy study ‘How young people facing disadvantage view democracy in Europe‘, which analyses the attitudes of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds towards democracy and what can be done to create a closer and better connection to democracy.

During the event, we engaged with academics, policymakers and youth organisations to discuss the project findings and how to address young people’s aspirations, hopes and concerns about democracy. A particular focus was on young Europeans’ preferences for future policies.

The event marked the end of an 18-month research period in which we interviewed over 100 young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in five countries (Hungary, Ireland, France, Poland, Spain) and more than 50 experts from politics, youth work and academia.

The project was carried out by FEPS with the support of the Fondation Jean-Jaurès, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Madrid, the Institute for Social Democracy (ISD) and the Fundación Felipe González.

Among the speakers:

• Maria João Rodrigues, President, FEPS
• Shana Cohen, Director of TASC and main editor of the report
• Kilian Wirthwein, International Policy Consultant and co-author of the Spanish case study
• Adam Kostrzewski, Researcher at IBRIS, and co-author of the Polish case study
• Thomas Rudner, Member of European Parliament, S&D Group
• Sofie Amalie Stage, Secretary General Young European Socialists
• Özgecan Kara, Director of Policy and Advocacy, European Youth Forum
• Matteo Dressler, Policy Analyst, Democracy & Participation, FEPS
• Elisa Gambardella, Education and Lifelong Learning Coordinator, SOLIDAR Foundation
• Ania Skrzypek , Director for Research and Training, FEPS

This project is part of the FEPS series Builders of Progress, which analyses young Europeans’ main concerns and aspirations. 

For more information regarding this event, please do not hesitate to contact Matteo Dressler, FEPS Policy Analyst on Democracy and Participation (matteo.dressler@feps-europe.eu)