Climate protests, problems with digitisation in government and education and, last but not least, the COVID-19 pandemic — young people in Germany have had plenty of opportunity for upset with the government lately. How do young people in Germany look at the government and what do they expect from the state? What do the under-35 year olds prioritise that older people, in contrast, tend not to have on their radars?
Together with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) and in the run-up to the 2021 federal election in Germany, we took a closer look at how young people in Germany view the role of the state and the priorities they set for public services in the country. Based on representative data from 634 16- to 35-year olds from across Germany, the report looks at young people’s priorities around housing, climate change, welfare and public services, as well as who young people identify with and want politics to pay more attention to.