Thursday, May 04, 2017

Young Europeans Find Democracy Unconvincing



When Europeans lose their taste for democracy, bad things have been known to happen.

Whether it's Hungary or Poland, both of which have authoritarian, illiberal governments, or the rise of authoritarian movements in the Netherlands, France and Britain, good old liberal democracy is taking something of a beating in Europe.

Now Deutsche Welle reports that just half of young Europeans, 16 to 26, still believe that democracy is the best form of government.

The results of the YouGov study, commissioned by the TUI Foundation and released Thursday, show that respondents from Germany and Greece were most in favor of democracy (62 and 66 percent), while France, Italy and Poland were the least convinced of its effectiveness (42, 45 and 42 percent).
The study noted that the latter three countries had experienced a growth in populist movements. France sees a runoff vote this weekend to decide if Marine Le Pen, a far-right candidate claiming she will protect France's national identity, will be its next president. However, polls predict Emmanuel Macron, a centrist candidate, is likely to claim victory.

The YouGov study, which was conducted between February 16 and March 3, surveyed 6,000 people aged 16-26 from Britain, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, and Spain.


If you doubt that neo-nationalism is sweeping Europe, especially in the east, check out the photo-essay at the bottom of the page.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

The reason for demise of an appeal of democracy is simple: manipulation of said democracy by a globalist cabal of banksters. Case in point: France's bankster Marron supported by the elite.
No wonder people find refuge in nationalistic movements.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2017/may/04/how-strange-that-capitalisms-noisiest-enemies-are-now-on-the-right
A..non

The Mound of Sound said...


Does that explain the neo-nationalistic triumph in Hungary or Poland or Turkey, A..non? Obviously not.

Anonymous said...

Poland and Hungary, yes. Just take an example of Soros' meddling.
I am not that familiar with Turkey situation.
A..non

The Mound of Sound said...

You're obviously not very familiar with the Hungarian situation either, A..non, or else you're Orban's unwitting dupe.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/04/07/why-is-hungary-trying-to-close-george-soross-prestigious-university/?utm_term=.2179b40b451d

Anonymous said...

Regurgitating washington post (bastion of neocons' fake news) story is a telltale of being a dupe.
As for me, I still have friends and family living in this neck of woods. Beats relying on washington rag news...
A..non