Young Germans Shifting to the Conservative Parties

 

A new survey shows a growing affection for conservative parties among young Germans.  Like young Americans who increasingly find a second Trump presidency more attractive than four more years of the failures of Joe Biden, young Germans are finding a lot to like in the economic program and immigration platform of the three major right-of-center parties in Germany. 

The conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) is now the most popular of Germany’s multiple political parties among German’s between 14 and 29 with 22 percent support according to the findings of the 2024 Jugend in Deutschland a survey. 

The AfD is the closest thing in Germany to the MAGA wing of the Republican Party in the United States.  The AfD’s economic program calls for deregulation and less state control of industry.  The AfD seeks a negotiated solution to the war in Ukraine.  And the AfD opposes Germany’s open borders immigration policies. 

The second most popular party among young Germans according to Jugend in Deutschland is the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) with 20 percent support.  The CDU/CSU most closely resembles the establishment Republicans in the United States. 

The pro-business Free Democratic party get 8 percent support among young Germans. 

In total, 50 percent of young Germans support the three pro-economic freedom parties. 

In contrast, only 35 percent of young Germans support the three parties of the left on economic policy.  The Greens have 18 percent support, the Socialists 12 percent and the former communists 5 percent. 

Young Germans are drawn to conservative parties because of their messages on economic policies and immigration according to Klaus Hurrelmann, a Professor of Public Health and Education at the Hertie School in Berlin, who was interviewed by the European Conservative. 

“The assumption that young people are left-wing is wrong. We can speak of a clear shift to the right among the young population. … The AfD has clearly succeeded in presenting itself as a protest party for the traffic lights and as a problem-solver for current concerns.”

Among the chief concerns for young people is not climate change, LGBTQ rights, or gender ideology, as the mainstream globalist press might have it, but rising costs and a lower standard of living due to inflation (65%), the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East (60%), and overpriced and scarce housing (54%).

Young Germans turned out heavily for freedom-oriented political parties in the previous German election in response to the COVID lockdowns and the country’s rising pension debts. 

 

Gen Z Carries More Credit Card Debt

 

Members of Generation Z are increasingly relying on credit card debt to make ends meet. 

The Wall Street Journal reports that the average credit card balance of 22-to-24-year-olds in the United States is $2,834 based on data from TransUnion, a credit dent reporting agency.  Debt levels are almost 30 percent higher than in 2013 after adjusting for inflation.  

The result is an increase in financial stress among Gen Zs.

Younger people with higher debt are more delinquent on credit-card payments and need to rely on family for help if they lose their job, say economists and financial advisers. They also often delay life milestones, including homeownership and marriage, say the economists.

“This is a generation that is feeling financial stress in a more acute way than millennials did a decade ago,” said Charlie Wise, head of global research at TransUnion.

Some of the factors driving the rise in credit card debt.

1. Rising rents.  Young people tend to be renters.  Apartment rents are on a tear.  From March 2020 to March 2024, apartments rents are up by 22 percent according to data from the BLS. 

2. Salaries are stagnant.  According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the median salary of a new college graduate in 2024 was $60,000, little changed form the inflation adjusted median of $58,858 in 2020. 

3. Interest rates are much higher today than just two years ago.  High rates on credit card debt make it more difficult to chip away on principal balances.   

4. Doom spending to relieve stress. 

The result is a generation of young people that increasingly fret about money.  A recent study by the accounting firm Ernst and Young found that 52 percent of young Americans are concerned about not having enough money.