Lowering the Voting Age 16 – what other countries can learn from Austria

17/04/2018

Elections are crucial for democracies; the question, who has a right to vote is thus of highest importance and is usually discussed heatedly. Austria was the first country in the European Union (EU) that lowered the general voting age to 16 in 2007. Supporters hoped that this measure would give young people a louder voice. Critics soon raised many questions, e.g.: Are young people mature enough to vote? Do they know enough to make a correct choice? Will the use their newly gained right at all or will they abstain?

Read the contribution by Eva Zeglovits, Political analyst, Institute for Empirical Social Studies (IFES)

Find all related publications
Publications
17/09/2024

Voices of Hungarian youth

An analysis of two decades of opinion trends (2000-2020)
16/05/2024

EU regulation on transparency and targeting of political advertising

FEPS YAN Series
15/05/2024

Inequality and populism

FEPS YAN Series
18/04/2024

The transformation of the mainstream right and its impact on (social) democracy

Find all related Progressive Post
Progressive Post
15/10/2024

Youth turnout in the 2024 European elections: a closer look at the under-25 vote

24/04/2024

Croatia’s super election year starts with a possible sharp turn to the right

Find all related events
Events
Upcoming
12/12/2024
FEPS HQ, Brussels

From posts to polls

Lessons from the 2024 European Elections on strengthening young people’s engagement through effective social media strategies
Past
04/11/2024
FEPS HQ, Brussels (Expert meeting)

Meeting the challenges from the populist right

Publication launch
29 - 01/12/2024
Tallinn, Estonia (Training)

Training of trainers third session

Find all related news
News
18/03/2024

FEPS President on Euronews talk-show ‘Brussels, my love?’

NATO extension, Portuguese elections, far-right and gender equality were the topics of the debate
04/03/2024

FEPS at the PES Election Congress in Rome

24/01/2024

Spanish Minister Teresa Ribera awarded FEPS ‘Progressive Person of the Year’

30/03/2023

Joint priorities for the Defence of Democracy Package

Find all related in the media
In the media

Falsely historic European elections bring little change, says FEPS

by Agence Europe 18/06/2024
Agence Europe's article features an analysis of the EU election results by Ania Skrzypek, FEPS Director for Research and Training, published in The Progressive Post.

Europe Needs a Democracy Commissioner

by Project Syndicate 05/06/2024
FEPS President Maria João Rodrigues co-authored this article, advocating for the establishment of a Democracy Commissioner to protect the sustainability of news media, among other tasks

La ultraderecha se reorganiza para devorar a los populares en Europa

by El País 03/06/2024
EL País article focuses on the changing relationship between the mainstream right and the far-right. It mentions FEPS Policy Study 'The transformation of the mainstream right and its impact on (social) democracy' and includes interviews with some of its authors.

Edição especial sobre as eleições europeias já nas bancas

by SÁBADO 21/05/2024
"Special Edition on the European Elections Now Available on Newsstands" Read the special edition by SÁBADO focusing on the European election in Portugal, with an interview by Maria João Rodrigues, FEPS President