Ahead of the German elections on 23 February, a new study has indicated that voting intentions among those aged 18 to 29 are split evenly among the Greens and AfD, with 18% each.
Other parties to garner support include the CDU/CSU with 16%, Die Linke with 13%, and the SPD with 12%.
The Jugend in Deutschland 2025 study found that both the CDU/CSU and AfD have lost support among young voters compared to previous elections, while Die Linke has gained popularity, overtaking the SPD.
‘Lack of a credible vision’
‘In interviews, many young people cite the lack of a feeling of security and the lack of a credible vision of how Germany and its people could be better off as reasons for their disappointment with the federal government,’ the report notes.
‘While the AfD and CDU/CSU in particular have benefited from this loss of trust in recent years, both parties will fall slightly among young people in 2025.’
Compared to the last Jugend in Deutschland study, conducted in 2024, the biggest mover is Die Linke, which has gained six percentage points among young voters.
Voting intentions
Gender differences are also evident, with support for the Greens higher among young women (24%) than young men (14%), while the AfD (21%) and CDU/CSU (20%) had higher support among young men, compared to 15% and 12% among young women, respectively.
Among first-time voters aged 18 to 21, the AfD are the most popular party, with 20% support, followed by Die Linke on 19%, the Greens (14%), CDU/CSU (12%), and SPD (11%).
Social media is cited as a key news source about the elections, with 62% of 18 to 21 year olds identifying it as a key source of political information, the study found.
The Jugend in Deutschland 2025 study is based on data from 1,684 young voters aged 18 to 29. Read more here.
