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Two-Thirds of French 16–25-Year-Olds Feel 'Second-Class Citizens,' Youth Barometer Finds

The Apprentis d’Auteuil report urges concrete avenues for youth participation before the 2026 municipal and 2027 presidential elections.

Overview

  • Perceived exclusion is highest among rural youth at 72%, compared with 59% in Île-de-France, 63% among NEETs, and 52% among high-school and college students.
  • A large majority judge decision-makers disconnected from their realities at 83%, with 79% saying they feel instrumentalized by elected officials.
  • Despite distrust, 64% intend to vote in the 2026 municipal elections and 73% in the 2027 presidential election, while nearly eight in ten want greater involvement yet 54% feel ill-informed and lack the codes to engage.
  • One in two uses social networks to speak out, but 75% believe political leaders ignore messages posted there and 77% say online exchanges often turn into clashes or useless debates.
  • Top priorities cited are schooling (58%), violence and discrimination (34%), precarity and poverty (30%), and health (28%); the survey polled 2,008 respondents in July 2025 using a quota method.