“Voices for Choices”: are Europe’s youth truly heard?

Across Europe, youth participation is widely celebrated in political discourse. Governments, institutions, and civil society frequently emphasise the importance of young people’s voices, promoting conferences, consultations and strategies aimed at their inclusion. Yet the reality tells a different story. While young Europeans are increasingly involved in discussions about the future, their actual influence on decision-making remains limited. They are invited to speak, but rarely empowered to shape or decide the policies that directly affect their lives.

A growing gap between rhetoric and reality

This gap between rhetoric and reality is stark. Young people across the continent, including in France, express deep frustration. Despite global consensus on the importance of youth participation and repeated assurances that democracy is inclusive at European, national, and local levels, many young citizens feel alienated by political processes that appear opaque, disconnected and superficial, wholly inadequate when compared to the magnitude of the challenges we face today.

This widespread disengagement is often misinterpreted as apathy or indifference towards politics. Yet, evidence suggests a very different reality: young people are highly rational actors who critically assess political systems. Rather than withdrawing out of disinterest, they question the value of investing time and energy in processes that consistently fail to address their core concerns. As a result, many choose to engage through alternative, informal channels. Among 18-to-24-year-olds, 55% report feeling politically engaged, according to a 2022 study by Institut BVA and SIGHT. This is reflected in forms of participation such as street protests, online activism (34%), boycotts (54%) or advocacy campaigns centred on issues they deeply care about – environmental protection, social justice and equality.

The limitations of formal participation

This tendency to bypass formal political channels underscores a fundamental challenge: traditional institutions struggle to engage young people in ways that are both meaningful and impactful. Formal political participation – such as voting and involvement in political parties or unions – is often seen by the younger generation as largely symbolic and ineffective in influencing decision-making. Consequently, consultations and isolated events organised by public authorities frequently amount to little more than a façade of inclusion aimed at re-engaging youth, without genuine power-sharing. When participation is detached from tangible outcomes, it risks becoming a democratic placebo, further eroding trust in institutions and fostering political cynicism.

In response to this democratic deficit, civil society organisations have taken on a critical role. When traditional institutions falter, intermediary organisations and grassroots groups step in to reconnect young people with political processes in authentic, locally rooted ways. Funded initiatives like “Voices for Choices”, led by Debating Europe and supported in France by Décider ensemble, exemplify how bringing engagement closer to the ground can build trust and yield tangible impact. By maintaining ongoing dialogue between local actors and policymakers, these initiatives promote sustained interaction rather than sporadic consultation.

Insights from the Voices for Choices Project

The “Voices for Choices” project, through a survey of over 2,000 young Europeans across five countries, alongside focus groups and national events, provides detailed insights into the concrete needs and aspirations of the continent’s youth – the very generation that will inherit Europe’s future. Across these diverse contexts, a shared sense of mistrust toward governments and political elites emerges strongly, especially on urgent issues like climate change, economic insecurity and social justice. In France, for instance, young participants voiced a clear demand for systemic change and consistent policy approaches. They rejected superficial ‘greenwashing’ and called for robust regulations to hold corporations accountable for their environmental footprint. At the same time, they emphasised the need for stronger social protections – such as affordable housing and universal income schemes – to tackle increasing economic precarity.

The challenges do not stop there. The digital age adds complexity to young people’s engagement. While tools such as digital platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) offer new opportunities for innovation and participation, concerns abound regarding their environmental impact, ethical consequences, and their potential role in spreading misinformation. This digital unease is compounded by education systems that often fall short in equipping young citizens with the media literacy needed to navigate today’s intricate information landscape critically.

These interconnected issues formed the core of discussions at the “Rencontres Européennes de la Participation”, France’s national event bringing together key stakeholders in citizen participation. Participants tackled themes of trust, societal polarisation, emotions and the role of media and education in shaping political engagement. Far from viewing youth frustration as a mere problem to be managed, the dialogues underscored it as a vital signal that democratic institutions must evolve to regain credibility and relevance.

Not just voices, but choices

Rather than focusing solely on diagnosing the problem, the event held in Strasbourg provided concrete, actionable ideas for moving forward – a vision for the Renewed Social Contract at the heart of “Voices for Choices”:

• To rebuild trust in democratic institutions, young people must see that their contributions lead to real change. As Guillaume Libsig, Deputy Mayor of Strasbourg in charge of youth, emphasised, this begins with local, transparent and continuous democratic processes, built on proximity and honesty. Feedback mechanisms must be clear, showing how youth input is integrated into actual policy outcomes. Without that, consultation risks becoming performance.
• Supporting civil society organisations that work directly with youth is also essential. These actors are often best placed to create spaces where young people are not only heard, but truly empowered to act. For example, Cité des Chances, an NGO working with high school students, promotes active citizenship through civic learning. As its president, Ahouefa Fagbemi, reminded us, strengthening civic literacy is essential: young people must be equipped with concrete tools to participate meaningfully in public life.
• Media and information also emerged as a central concern. The concentration of media ownership, the unchecked rise of AI and the spread of misinformation pose serious challenges to democratic engagement. Elliot Clark, founder of MOB Le Média de la Démocratie, underlined the urgency of training the next generation to navigate complex digital environments. Young people must be equipped with critical thinking skills, not only to decode information but to challenge it and shape it.

If Europe wants to move beyond empty gestures, institutions must provide young people with real opportunities to participate in public life, through informed and continuous engagement. This also means listening to their perspectives and sharing actual decision-making power. Projects like “Voices for Choices” show that integrating local voices into EU policymaking is both realistic and necessary. Without these genuine connections, political institutions risk losing the trust and involvement of an entire generation. Their participation is not optional, it is essential to meet the pressing challenges facing Europe and the world.

The views expressed in this #CriticalThinking article reflect those of the author(s) and not of Friends of Europe.