Young People are becoming Increasingly Pessimistic about the Future
New findings from the series of studies “Zukunft? Jugend fragen!” show that environmental and climate protection continues to lose importance among young people (age 14 to 22) in Germany. Only about one-third considers the topic “very important”. In 2021, it was one half of those surveyed. At the same time, the prospects for the future of the environment and climate remain bleak, with only one-quarter of respondents expressing optimism. The majority of young people also look pessimistically toward the future of German society as a whole. At 73 percent of respondents, this proportion is significantly higher than in previous years. The study was conducted by the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) in cooperation with Verian on behalf of the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA).
Since 2017, this series of studies has surveyed young people once every two years about their environmental awareness, attitudes toward the environment, and expectations of politicians. “The growing pessimism among young people should give us something to think about,” said UBA President Dirk Messner in response to the findings. “Our task is and remains to offer the next generation a future worth living by leaving them an intact planet. A key to achieve this is involving young people even more in environmental policy. They are rightfully demanding this.”
According to the latest youth survey by the Federal Environment Agency, environmental and climate protection is an important issue for 73 percent of respondents. However, the proportion of young people who rate the issue as “very important” has dropped from 50 to 30 percent since 2021. Furthermore, it is given lower priority compared to other political issues. The top priorities for young people are crime and public safety (rated “very important” by 54 percent) and social justice (rated “very important” by 53 percent). In light of the various societal crises, environmental and climate protection appears to be taking a back seat.
The future of the environment and climate is viewed as negatively as in previous years, with 69 percent of respondents expressing pessimism. Meanwhile, 73 percent of young people are pessimistic about the future of German society as a whole, compared to 54 percent in 2021. The outlook for their personal futures has also become more negative. Although 30 percent are pessimistic in this regard, this represents an increase of 11 percentage points compared to 2021.
The political interest among young people is high overall. 88 percent of those surveyed say it is very important to live in a democracy, and 69 percent think the European Union is a good thing. At the same time, 78 percent of young people criticize the fact that social disparities in Germany are too significant.
When it comes to satisfaction with various societal actors involved in environmental and climate protection, the survey shows that only 26 percent of respondents rate the federal government is doing enough, while 69 percent rate it is not doing enough. The picture is similar for industry and economy, as well as for individuals: Only 30 percent consider the efforts of both groups to be sufficient. Seventy percent of respondents would like to see greater political attention paid to young people’s demands on climate issues.
Sustainable consumption – such as buying organic food or fair-trade products – is part of daily life for many respondents. Many young people are also actively involved in civil society efforts to protect the environment and combat climate change, for example by supporting online petitions or participating in demonstrations. However, when compared over time, sustainable everyday behavior and civic engagement have, in some cases, been on the decline since 2021.
The most recent representative survey in the “Future? Ask Young People!” series took place in December 2025 and included 1,311 respondents aged 14 to 22. It was conducted as a supplementary survey as part of the 2026 Environmental Awareness Study.
View study (English abstract)
