Cost of living more worrying for young people than climate - EU survey

Rising prices and living expenses are the top concern for 40 percent of 16-to-30 year olds in the EU, according to a new Eurobarometer survey released this week.

However climate change ranks clearly as the second highest priority, with 33 percent of survey respondents stating that environmental protection and climate action should be the EU's main focus over the next five years.

"Young people today are worried about rising prices, climate change, security and their chances of finding a good job,” said Roberta Metsola, president of the European parliament in conjunction with the survey's release. “These are concerns that we must address in every decision we take and every law that we pass. Otherwise, we risk losing a generation to disillusionment.”

The Eurobarometer report did not include comparative data on the top concerns amongst young people from previous years.

Instagram: The core news source for young people

Other key findings from the report include social media dominating as the primary news source for young EU citizens. 42 percent of under-30s get their information about political and social issues via social media, compared to 39 percent who watch TV, according to the study. Instagram tops the list (47 percent), followed by TikTok (39 percent).

“The information landscape is rapidly changing. With most young people predominantly getting their news from social media, politicians and social media platforms have a particular responsibility to fight increasing disinformation,” said Metsola.

Strong awareness of fake news

Some 76 percent of young people surveyed reported being exposed to disinformation and fake news. But 70 percent reckoned they could identify false information. Young people in Malta and Croatia showed the highest confidence in detecting fake news, while their peers in Austria, Germany, and Slovenia expressed the lowest confidence levels.

The research was conducted by global polling firm Ipsos across all 27 EU member states. 25,863 respondents aged 16-30 were surveyed between September 25th and October 3th, 2024.