From Germany and France to Poland and Spain, the far right made inroads into the youth vote in key states in the European Union elections — as a generation that has grown up amid constant crises seeks new answers and follows politicians fluent in TikTok and YouTube.
Young voters, traditionally perceived to be more left-wing, drove the wave of support for environmental parties at the last EU election in 2019, earning the nickname "Generation Greta" after the young Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
But following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine war and cost of living crisis, many shifted their support this year toward far-right populist parties that tapped into their concerns, fueling their overall rise in the June 6 to 9 European Parliament poll.