Corona and digitization: why many young people choose the FDP

The FDP has done particularly well with young people: Almost a quarter of the first-time voters voted for the Liberals. The background is likely to be the Corona crisis and the topic of digitization.

The younger the age group, the higher their election result: The FDP won 23 percent of the votes in the Bundestag election from the first-time voters. No other party did better here.

In the 18-24 age group, the FDP received 21 percent of the votes, nine percentage points more than in 2017. Only the Greens were able to get more votes in this group, namely 23 percent. It is followed by the SPD with 15 percent, the Union with ten, the Left with eight and the AfD with seven percent.

And also in Berlin, which is considered to be a left-wing stronghold, the FDP was relatively strong among 18-24 year-olds, at least twelve percent. In the previous election to the House of Representatives, it was only five percent.

Digitization and the corona crisis

The domestic policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group Konstantin Kuhle said in an interview with tagesschau.de, although he did not yet have any concrete figures on the reasons why many young people made their mark on the Liberals. In the election campaign, however, it was always about digitization and the corona crisis.

It is often pretended “as if young people had only chilled during Corona when in reality they made the greatest sacrifices,” emphasizes Kuhle. “You have seen firsthand how ailing education and public administration are, and that Germany is a developing country in terms of digitization. And you have seen how quickly their civil liberties are withdrawn in case of doubt their educational opportunities, but also in the personal area. ” Kuhle criticizes, “all rooms that are important for young people, schools, universities, but also sports associations and clubs were closed, many are lonely, some even mentally ill”.

The FDP “addressed these issues again and again – and did not simply ignore them,” says Kuhle. In his opinion, the Liberals were rewarded for this at the ballot box. The numbers also point in this direction: Many citizens praised the party for campaigning for civil liberties during the pandemic.

Scientist sees four reasons

For the political scientist Uwe Jun there are four reasons why young people choose FDP: Freedom rights, digitization, educational justice and the presence in social media. In conversation with tagesschau.de says Jun: “While other parties advocated and implemented lockdowns in the Corona crisis, the FDP was the only party beyond the AfD that has repeatedly raised its voice for individual rights of freedom. This appeals to young voters as well as other positions, for For example, a liberalization of drug policy. Digitization has now all taken up the cause, but the liberals have occupied this position for a long time and are therefore also credible. In addition, they have a top candidate in Christian Lindner who is more present in social media than many others. ”

The corona crisis has mercilessly exposed the weaknesses in the areas of education and digitization – the FDP is now benefiting from this. In addition, the similarities with the Greens are quite high in these areas, so that the chances of implementation in the upcoming exploratory and coalition talks are not so bad, according to Jun.

Kuhle emphasizes similarities with the Greens

FDP interior expert Kuhle also emphasizes in an interview with tagesschau.deThere are certain points in common with the Greens: “We are both fighting for voting rights at 16, we want §219a to be deleted without replacement, we are in favor of a liberal drug policy.”

Kuhle also criticized derogatory comments on social networks about the FDP’s good performance among young people: “You can’t stand up and say that young people are politically conscious when they vote for the Greens, but they are somehow stupid or blinded when they do they choose FDP. Some times have to get off their high horse. ” It is correct, however, that the number of young men joining the party is higher than the proportion of women, so the party must become even better.

Rule right now?

The election success will definitely put the FDP in a comfortable position – without it, it would be difficult to form a government, since a coalition of the Union and the SPD currently seems unrealistic. Together with the Greens, the Liberals can now determine who will govern Germany in the future.

After the 2017 election, the FDP broke off coalition negotiations with the Union and the Greens. “It is better not to govern than to govern wrongly,” said party leader Lindner at the time. The supporters are unlikely to be satisfied with this again: Now the party must prove whether it can put the competencies assigned to it into practice.