Most Germans back youth protests over schools and housing costs
Eighty-two percent of Germans say mainstream politics neglects young people, and most see demonstrations as a justified form of protest.
A large majority of Germans backed recent youth protests over underfunded schools and housing costs in a poll published on Thursday, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
The representative survey, conducted for public broadcaster ARD, found that 82 percent of Germans agreed that mainstream politics neglects young people.
Nine in 10 respondents said taking part in demonstrations was a justified way to express a political view, while roughly two-thirds opposed road blockades.
The findings follow protests in more than 30 cities over the weekend, where tens of thousands of young people responded to a call from the "Gen Z regelt" initiative.
Organizers are demanding more public funding for education, affordable housing, social justice and climate protection, and they oppose plans to reintroduce military conscription.
Another protest day is already scheduled for Nov. 20.
The poll also showed that 18- to 34-year-olds have moved further away from Chancellor Friedrich Merz's center-right CDU/CSU alliance and its center-left coalition partner, the Social Democrats, and toward parties at the political extremes.
Among that age group, the socialist Left Party was trusted most to address youth issues, at 29 percent, followed by the anti-immigrant AfD at 21 percent.
The environmentalist Greens scored 12 percent, while the CDU/CSU stood at 5 percent and the SPD at 3 percent.
