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Brussels – Young people between the ages of 16 and 30 in the EU and also in Austria primarily obtain information on political and social issues and problems through social media. According to a Eurobarometer survey published on Monday, around three-quarters are convinced that they were confronted with fake news and disinformation in the past week. The biggest concerns for young people are rising prices and climate change.
42 percent of Europeans (41 percent in Austria) between the ages of 16 and 30 primarily obtain information on politics and society through social media. The second most important source of information is television, at 39 (32) percent, while only about a quarter (23 percent in Austria) primarily use online news platforms.
About three-quarters of young Europeans and even 80 percent of those surveyed in Austria are convinced they were confronted with disinformation and fake news in the past week. More than half of the respondents from Malta, Hungary, Greece, Luxembourg, and Belgium are “very often” or “often” exposed to false information; in Romania, however, almost a fifth think they have never fallen for fake news.
Rising prices and climate change are causing concern
“The information landscape is changing rapidly. Since most young people get their news primarily from social media, politicians and social media platforms have a special responsibility to combat increasing disinformation,” commented European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in a statement.
40 percent of respondents EU-wide and 35 percent of those surveyed in Austria stated that the EU should primarily deal with rising prices and the cost of living in the next five years, while for a third, the environment and climate change should be a priority. 31 percent of young Europeans – but only a fifth of Austrians – believe that the economic situation and job creation primarily require European action.
Only a third satisfied with the current EU
Only about a third of survey participants are clearly in favor of the current EU. A third are generally in favor of the Union but disagree with how it currently functions. A fifth expressed skepticism, and six percent of respondents were completely against the EU. 45 percent cite the protection of human rights, democracy, and peace as its most important function, followed by freedom of speech and thought, as well as human dignity.
The Eurobarometer Youth Survey was conducted by Ipsos between September 25 and October 3, 2024, in all 27 EU member states. A total of 25,863 young people aged 16 to 30 were surveyed using Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) via online panels. (02/20/2025)