In this interview with Giulia Paolini and Diana Antonello, youth policy analysts at EACEA, we focus on the creation of the visually driven report "Situation of Young People in the EU". This publication, annexed to the EU Youth Report 2024, offers a comprehensive look at key aspects of young Europeans' lives, including youth demographics, political participation, and environmental concerns. Moreover, the conversation explores the design choices behind the report, the challenges of selecting relevant data, and the importance of visual storytelling in making complex information more accessible and engaging.

This publication presents a comprehensive and visually engaging overview of youth in the EU. Why did you decide to go for this new visual approach? What are its added values?

In this report we wanted to summarise the main aspects of the life of young Europeans, the way they live, their main concerns, their aspirations. At the same time, we wanted to keep the report light, of a limited length. It was therefore sometimes difficult to select which data to include. We think we have picked the most telling ones such as how people do in the labour market, their degree of participation in society, or how they feel in terms of emotional wellbeing. I believe that all the themes covered, taken together, ensure a comprehensive representation of the situation of young people in the EU. 

We also made the choice to privilege a visual presentation of the data, with images, illustrations and graphs, keeping the text to a minimum. Also in this case, we wanted to present a light product, easy to read and web friendly to facilitate the dissemination of results among policy makers, youth stakeholders and young people themselves.

Youth Demographics & Trends: The infographic highlights a decline in the youth population across the EU. Based on the data, what are the key patterns observed in youth demographics, and how do they compare across different Member States?

The share of young Europeans in the total population has indeed declined over the past decades. What is more, this trend is expected to continue over the next ones. The EU population is ageing, and this will have important consequences for our society, in particular for future generations. According to data projections elaborated by Eurostat, the highest decreases are expected in countries in the north of Europe, reaching, in some countries, around 20% between 2023 and 2073. Over the same period, central areas should see a smaller decline, of about 10%. 

The data shows that 42% of young Europeans (15-24) consider voting in European elections highly important. What insights can be drawn from this figure, and how does it compare to other forms of political participation?

This figure suggests that while a significant proportion of young Europeans consider democratic participation in European elections important, there is still room for growth in engagement. In fact, we also know that 70% of young peoplehave voted in recent elections (local, national or European) either always or often, which suggests that the majority of young people value the significance of voting. The good news is that trust in the EU is relatively high: more than half of young people trust or have a positive perception of the EU. Still youth participation in political organisations or parties remains low, as they tend to engage more in other forms of civic involvement, such as sports clubs, youth organisations, or volunteer activities, rather than in traditional political settings.

A growing share of young people look to the European Union to tackle climate change. How has the growing involvement of young people in actions against climate change evolved over the past 10 years?

Climate change ranks as one of the most burning concerns among young people. This is confirmed by the fact that more than two thirds of young voters consider the environmental policies pursued by political parties before expressing their vote at elections. In parallel, youth engagement in activities fighting climate change has increased substantially over the past decade: almost 50% more young people have taken action personally in 2023 compared to 2013. This is an important indication of the salience that environmental issues have among young generations: they are well aware that their future is at stake. As you note, the EU is looked at as the top actor in tackling these issues, in line with the trust that over the majority of young people express for EU institutions.

Digital & Media Literacy: The data suggests that many young people are aware of disinformation and fake news. What do young people think of their ability to identify and critically assess online content?

We have good news! About 75% of young people are confident to be up to the task of identifying disinformation. And they indicate education as the most important factor in equipping them with the appropriate digital skills. This is in line with what was reported by the Youth Wiki – the online repository of youth national policies that we coordinate: most European countries have introduced measures to support the acquisition of skills on media literacy and online safety.

Author: Anna Maria Volpe 
 
In the picture: Giulia Paolini (Analyst EACEA A6) and Diana Antonello (Analyst EACEA A6)