Since its first decade of operation, Kapa Research has been committed to focusing on the Greek youth, its trends and perceptions, recognizing the key role young Greeks play in the country’s development.
In 2010, our survey of 5,000 young men and women (on behalf of newspaper TO VIMA) revealed the outburst of anger and generalized questioning of the Greek and European political and corporate systems, with 74% admitting they were thinking of leaving Greece and with 45% of them having already taken action in this direction. In addition, the ideological and political background of the great turn of the young people towards the so-called “political extremes” was strongly recorded, something that later brought about the electoral flourishing of SYRIZA on the one hand and ANEL and Golden Dawn on the other.
In 2021, today, Kapa Research attempts once again to highlight trends that lurk in the shadows through this new quantitative research on approximately 2,000 members of the millennial and Z generations*.
This year’s survey documents the gentle tones of a balanced generation, a generation of self-knowledge. It highlights the factors that influenced it and marked its formation. Its basic values, perceptions and attitudes of life. Its full awareness of the country’s impasses, its questioning of Greek and EU institutions, the functions of the state and the public dialogue which they consider to be conducted in their absence.
It also records a confident generation, scientifically competent, with high self-esteem and down-to-earth expectations.
This time, opposition to the “system” stems from the political center with unprecedented realism, as – for the time being – stoning from the extremes does not seem attractive. It is a mature generation, without illusions, capable of reorganizing the country and it constitutes the comparative advantage of Greece in the wider region.
After all, alternative national forces able to step up are limited. Therefore, it may be worthwhile to shift the focus of public debate and political competition to the youth’s constant impasses and their immediate integration in the joints of economic and social vanguard.