Youth

Our research also shows that young people see the same number of politician role models among both younger and older current politicians, implying that they see no difference in the political behaviour of politicians of different ages. Also, when it comes to personal involvement in politics, we noticed a discrepancy in the opinions of the young people surveyed: While around 70% of them think that young people should get involved in politics in Albania, 60% claim that they personally they would not enter politics.

With the highest emigration rates in Europe, the Western Balkans face a range of economic and social consequences because of people leaving to find a better life abroad. What is more, young people are the most represented group among emigrants, so the future development of these countries will see more and more challenges. Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), through its Western Balkans Democracy Initiative, is working across the region with a wide range of political and civil society actors to address the factors that push young people to emigrate.