Young women: the commitment is there, but politics isn’t giving them a chance

Among young people, the relationship with politics appears even more complex. Flash Eurobarometer 545, ‘Youth and democracy’, carried out in early April 2024 on a sample of 1,019 young people aged between 15 and 30 interviewed in Italia, finds that 67 per cent stated their intention to vote in the 2024 European elections, three percentage points above the EU average (64 per cent). This is a stated intention prior to the vote, not a figure on actual voter turnout, but it indicates that voting continues to be regarded as an important tool.

In the same survey, 52 per cent of young Italians said they had taken, in the previous twelve months, at least one action to help change society, such as signing a petition, taking part in a demonstration or writing to a politician. This figure is four percentage points higher than the European average (48%). Among those who said they had taken action, the most frequently cited causes were human rights (40 per cent), the environment and climate (38 per cent) and health and wellbeing (35 per cent). Equal rights, regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation, were cited by 23 per cent, six percentage points below the European average (29 per cent).

When asked what the most effective ways are for young people to make their voices heard, 40 per cent of respondents cited voting, followed by participation in public consultations (31 per cent), student or youth organisations (29 per cent), social media (23 per cent) and movements, political parties or trade unions (22 per cent). The ranking reveals a significant finding: digital tools are present, but they do not replace institutional or collective ones; rather, they coexist with them within a broader range of possibilities.

Further insight comes from the survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the Toniolo Institute between 22 April and 10 May 2024, involving 2,000 young people aged between 18 and 34, who were interviewed online according to quotas based on gender, age, educational attainment, employment status and geographical area. The results challenge the notion of an apathetic generation: 20.3 per cent report a high level of interest in politics, 56.1 per cent a moderate level and 21.8 per cent a low level. According to the researchers, the problem, if anything, is a lack of opportunities: 62.3 per cent believe that Italian politics offers no opportunities to young people (20.4 per cent) or offers them only to a very limited extent (41.9 per cent), whilst only 5.2 per cent think that the majority of parties and movements do so.

Outside of political parties, the forms of engagement reported over the last twelve months are far more numerous: 69 per cent have chosen whether to buy a product for ethical, political or environmental reasons; 62.9 per cent have signed a petition; 57.2 per cent have taken part in an initiative addressing an issue in their neighbourhood or local area; and 56.3 per cent have participated in online political discussions. 63.6 per cent follow activists or influencers on political issues or matters of public interest. However, their relationship with political parties remains ambivalent: young people’s trust in these organisations stands at 31.6 per cent – the highest figure since the first survey in 2012 (8.5 per cent) – but still far below the level of trust expressed towards voluntary work (66 per cent).

A specific focus on young women is provided by Plan International’s ‘Equal Power Now’ study, carried out in Italia amongst 1,000 girls and young women aged between 15 and 24: 57 per cent of the sample consisted of respondents aged 20–24, and 43 per cent of girls aged 15–19. This is not, of course, a representative sample of the national population, and the organisation itself points out that it is more likely that the survey reached girls with access to the internet and a mobile phone, and that the results cannot be generalised.

However, they raise some interesting points for consideration: in the research, 78 per cent of participants stated that they had been involved in politics in some form or had engaged with political issues. This is a broad definition, adopted by Plan International, which encompasses both formal and informal participation as well as forms of engagement such as following politics through the media. Among the 780 respondents who indicated at least one activity, 54 per cent stated that they had followed politics via various media platforms, 53 per cent via social media, and 52 per cent that they had signed a petition. The average reported was 2.3 activities per participant. This is therefore not a measure of participation in political parties or institutions, but a broader indicator that encompasses both information and engagement.

The priorities identified by the girls help to understand which issues this interest centres on: at the top of the list are conflicts, peace, violence in communities and crime (66 per cent), followed by the environment (64 per cent) and poverty and unemployment (56 per cent). Forty-seven per cent mention discrimination based on race and ethnicity and LGBTIQ+ rights, whilst 43 per cent cite gender-based violence. These are issues that intertwine international dimensions, social justice and rights, and which demonstrate a conception of participation linked to the possibility of influencing the concrete conditions of society.

This willingness to take action, however, coexists with a strong perceived distance from decision-making bodies. 63 per cent of those surveyed do not believe that political leaders act in the interests of girls and young women; 64 per cent do not think that they know or understand their point of view; 68 per cent say they have lost faith in political leaders, and 23 per cent state that the decisions and actions of political representatives have led them to stop engaging with politics or current affairs. The problem, therefore, does not seem to be merely a lack of interest, but also the perception that they are not being listened to.

Added to this gap are barriers to entry into politics: 59 per cent do not feel confident about standing for elected office. Among the difficulties cited are the belief that politicians do not address the issues facing girls and women (36 per cent), that politics is not open to their participation (34 per cent) and that there is a lack of political figures capable of inspiring them (33 per cent). A further 33 per cent believe that elected representatives would not listen to them simply because they are girls or young women. In short: young women may follow, discuss and support public causes, but this does not mean they feel empowered or equipped to enter the arenas where decisions are made.

The gender gap is also clearly evident in the Toniolo survey, which has a broader age range (18–34 years) and includes men of the same age group. 25.9 per cent of young men and 14.3 per cent of young women report a high level of interest in politics; 16.6 per cent of men and 27.4 per cent of women report a low level of interest. Perceptions of the opportunities available also differ: 66.9 per cent of young women believe that politics offers no opportunities to young people, or offers them only to a very limited extent, compared with 57.8 per cent of their male peers. Only 2.8 per cent of women (7.4 per cent of men) believe that the majority of parties and movements offer opportunities for participation. Among the factors identified by the researchers are internal barriers, such as a lower perception of political effectiveness and socialisation into gender stereotypes, and external barriers, linked to difficulties in gaining access to and remaining in political spheres.

As we have seen, participation in community life is not limited to politics in the strict sense, and a complementary indicator worth considering in relation to engagement in social life is volunteering, both in organised forms and through direct assistance. According to Istat, in 2023, 9.1 per cent of the population aged 15 and over – approximately 4.7 million people – had carried out at least one of these activities in the four weeks prior to the interview. 6.2 per cent took part in activities organised through groups and associations, whilst 4.9 per cent provided direct assistance, that is, to the benefit of non-family members, the community or the environment. The two forms overlap: some volunteers are active in both.

Here too, gender differences emerge, but there is no clear gap. Organised volunteering involves 6.6 per cent of men and 5.8 per cent of women; in direct aid, the percentages are reversed, with 5.1 per cent of women compared with 4.8 per cent of men. Women are therefore slightly more involved in direct aid, whilst men are more involved in organised activities. Compared with 2013, however, participation has fallen for both genders, with the decline being more pronounced amongst men.

Among 15- to 24-year-olds, organised volunteering involves 5.3 per cent of young people, whilst 2.9 per cent provide direct assistance. Organised volunteering is more widespread amongst young people than amongst those aged 25–44 (4.8 per cent), but less so than amongst those aged 45–64 (7.2 per cent) and the over-65s (6.2 per cent); direct assistance, on the other hand, is less common than in all other age groups. These figures indicate that involvement in voluntary organisations is also one of the ways in which younger people participate in community life.

Overall, therefore, the research shows a form of participation comprising various practices, including information-sharing, mobilisation, petitions, membership of organisations and voluntary work, and highlights an issue concerning the quality of democracy: why the willingness to engage with public issues does not also translate into representation and decision-making power, institutions must be perceived as accessible, capable of listening and willing to respond to the demands of the younger generations. This need is confirmed by the Toniolo survey: 76.6 per cent of the young people interviewed believe that genuine opportunities for participation would improve their opinion of politics as a whole.