Significantly fewer young people are optimistic about the future of the country

According to a survey, the mood among young people has clouded over. Although the vast majority is still satisfied with their lives and is optimistic about the future, the numbers have fallen year-on-year, as the representative “Sinus Youth Study” commissioned by Barmer showed. It will be published this Friday and was available to the German Press Agency in advance. 2001 young people between the ages of 14 and 17 were surveyed in October 2022.

Accordingly, the proportion of those who are very or rather optimistic about their future fell by six percentage points to 75 percent. 77 percent are satisfied with their own life, three percent less than a year ago.

In the current survey, young people are significantly more pessimistic about the future of the country and the world. The question "How optimistic do you see the future of Germany overall?" only 43 percent answered "very optimistic" or "rather optimistic" (previous year 62 percent). And only one in three is optimistic about the future of the world as a whole (35 percent, 2021: 44 percent).

“Optimism should be a trait of youth. That's why it should draw our attention if, within a year, young people are significantly more concerned about their future and that of our country," said Barmer CEO Christoph Straub.

According to the study, 14-17 year olds are most worried about wars, ahead of climate change, pollution and energy crises. On the other hand, fewer young people are very concerned about issues such as training or looking for a job.

"Aha! Ten minutes of everyday knowledge" is WELT's knowledge podcast. Every Tuesday and Thursday we answer everyday questions from the field of science. Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Deezer, Amazon Music, among others, or directly via RSS feed.