Political Emotions and Participation of the Southeast European Youth

Statistics usually fail to capture young people’s motivations to take part in political processes, that is, they overlook their understanding of politics. Our qualitative research shows that young people from Southeast European countries perceive politics as a process rather than a one-time voting event. They are uninterested because they find formal politics difficult or boring. Feelings of powerlessness, confusion, and ambivalence about their influence on decisions are followed by thinking about emigrating. Instead, we should change the way we do politics by nurturing political discussions and political literacy from a young age.