Young people are doing poorly, says Klaus Hurrelmann, Germany’s best-known generation researcher. Although the pandemic has been overcome, fears, stress and disappointments remain. And a dangerous proximity to the AfD.
Professor Hurrelmann, the seventh youth study is published today. The previous ones have shown: The pandemic has severely affected the young generation. Is there finally a sigh of relief?
We actually expected that. For most people, something like normality has finally returned. Instead, however, it turns out that the young generation is still suffering from an unusually high level of mental stress. Personal satisfaction has fallen again in almost all areas compared to the last two surveys from 2023 and 2022. The younger generation feels more stressed, exhausted and helpless than in previous years.