Just in time for the 2017 federal elections, young people came to the fore again in Germany. In the 2017 elections, more than five million eligible voters were younger than 25 years, about three million of them first-time voters. Numerous campaigns specifically targeted young people and political parties were working on formats to address young voters in particular. Nevertheless, once again significantly fewer young Germans turned out to vote in the 2017 elections than there were voters in the rest of the population.
In this report, d|part and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation publish their research on the voting behaviour of young Germans. The research team analysed official election statistics and representative survey data on the participation of young voters collected around the elections. This data allows a detailed look at young people’s voter turnout and political attitudes. The research shows, among other things, that young people still turn out to vote less often, but are no less interested in politics.
We take a look at the following questions:
- How many young Germans voted in the 2017 federal elections?
- Who voted and why? What differences need to be highlighted?
- What motivated or prevented young people from voting in 2017?
- Who did young Germans vote for and for what reasons?
- Which topics were interesting for young people in 2017?
- How did young people find out about the 2017 federal elections?