Youth Studies: Slovakia

Willingness to Assume Political Office Among Slovak Youth

Understanding the political engagement of youth is crucial for the future of democratic participation. In Slovakia, Friedrich Ebert Foundation's 2023 Youth Study survey data offers valuable insights into how willing young people are to take on political functions. The findings highlight the varying levels of political ambition among youth in Central and Eastern Europe compared to their peers in the Baltic states.

Young people in CEE and the Baltics do not want to run for political offices

Among the countries surveyed, the youth in Central and Eastern Europe are generally more likely to "not at all" consider assuming a political office compared to youth in the Baltic countries. The graph below shows that about 1 in 3 young people in Central and Eastern Europe are not even considering running or occupying a political office themselves. When adding up those that do not consider a political office for themselves at all with those who answered 'probably not', this number rises to more than half of young people in Slovakia, along with Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic.

Right-wing youth in Slovakia more willing to take on political functions

The second graph focuses specifically on Slovakia, detailing how willing young people of different political orientations are to assume political office. It shows that youth to the right of the political spectrum are more likely to consider assuming a political office.

Key Takeaways

• Youth in Central and Eastern Europe are generally more likely to "not at all" consider assuming a political office compared to their peers in the Baltic countries, with about 1 in 3 young people not even considering this option.
• Evidence from Slovakia shows that youth to the right of the political spectrum are more likely to consider assuming a political office.

On the Data

The data was taken from the 2023 study "Personal Optimism, National Pessimism, Trust in Europe. A Comparison of Values, Attitudes, and Plans of Young People in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia". It investigates the opinions of people aged 14-29 years on a broad range of topics such as education, employment, political participation, family relationships, and values. Read the full study here.