How engaged are young Europeans in online civic and political life?

Young Europeans seem to be more politically active than their older counterparts.

In 2025, nearly one in four Europeans aged 16 to 29 said they engaged in civic or political issues online, according to the latest Eurostat figures.

This includes expressing their opinions on civic or political issues, participating in online consultations, or voting.

In comparison, slightly more than one-fifth of the overall population said they did the same sort of thing.

One of the main things that draws young Europeans to the web to express their political views appears to be its flexibility and ability to give a voice to all.

Young people see online spaces as a way of redefining participation as, in traditional offline settings, they only feel invited to “pre-determined spaces that rarely allow for equal influence, such as youth councils, forums, and summits”, according to the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD).

“Rather than retreating from politics, young people are reimagining how democracy can function from the ground up,” said Carlotta Magoga, research and programmes officer at the EPD.

Online civic or political participation among young people in 2025 was highest in Slovenia (49.4%), Latvia (33.3%) and the Netherlands (31.3%), according to Eurostat.

In contrast, the lowest shares were seen in Belgium (12.3%), Czechia (14.3%), Sweden and Greece (both 16.1%).

In 23 of the EU’s 27 countries, young people were more likely to engage online than the overall population.

The largest gaps were recorded in Slovenia, with almost half of young people engaging online compared with slightly over one-third of the overall population.

This was followed by Latvia, with 33.3% of youth participating online compared with 24.2% of the general population, and Italy (30.9% vs 24.5%).

Only in Finland and Cyprus did the general population outpace the youth on political engagement, while in Luxembourg, Ireland, Croatia, and Malta, engagement was equal across age groups.

However, as democratic debate shifts online, experts warn that digital platforms are increasingly taking control of the political conversation, risking fragmented discourse and fuelling cynicism, distrust, and even rage-driven engagement.