In the backdrop of migration-related discourses and growing polarisation, the faith in democracy has been declining among the European youth, with more than one-fifth of respondents in favour of authoritarianism, a recent survey has found.
The socio-political survey conducted by the Tui Foundation, a group that funds projects dedicated to the European youth, found that only 57 per cent of young Europeans prefer democracy to other forms of government. The figures are as low as 48 per cent in Poland, and 51-52 per cent in Spain and France, The Guardian reported.
The study also revealed that more than one-fifth (21 per cent) of all respondents favoured an authoritarian form of government. Italy recorded the highest degree of support for authoritarianism with 24 per cent, followed by France, Spain and Poland with 23 per cent.
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As many as 39 per cent of respondents across Europe are of the view that the system needs few changes, while one-third believe “changes are necessary ‘in many respects’ because the political system is not working well,” the report noted. In Poland, 41 per cent share this opinion.
Only six per cent of all respondents believe their country’s political system functions well and does not need to be changed.
The results come in the backdrop of electoral outcomes – pivoted by discourses on immigration policies – reflecting rising polarisation. Support for tougher restrictions on migration has grown across the board since 2021, from 26 per cent to 38 per cent.
19 per cent of the respondents described themselves as politically right of centre (up from 14 per cent in 2021), while 33 per cent called themselves centrists and 32 per cent as leftist. 16 per cent did not state their designation.
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Germany, however, breaks the trend of the growing distrust toward democracy. Notwithstanding the polarisation reflected in the 2025 polls, the faith in democratic institutions remains high in the fourth largest economy.
The support for authoritarianism has shown to be the lowest – at 15 per cent – in Germany and 71 per cent still believe in democracy. About 55 per cent believe that the system works well but needs changes in “some respects”, the Tui Foundation noted.
Currently in the middle of a economic slowdown, Germany elected its CDU-led centre-right coalition into power with 28.6 per cent of the votes. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has grown popular, receiving 20.8 per cent (doubling its vote share from 10.4 in 2021). The Left, although with as low as 8.8 per cent votes, witnessed 3.9 per centage point rise in the recent polls.
61 per cent of German youth believe that the democratic system in their own country is endangered, compared to a European average of 48 per cent.
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The study involved a survey of 6,703 people between the ages of 16 and 26 in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Poland, and Great Britain in April and May 2025.