EINWURF 3/2014 EN - Generation wahl-O-Mat – How viable is our democracy over the long term?

Younger people today make political decisions based more on pragmatic concerns and their own short-term needs than older people do. However, instead of to age, this “future orientation” can be attributed to the infl uences of each generation’s political socialization: Having guiding principles and political ideologies has made today’s older individuals more future-oriented, while younger people – as members of “Generation wahl-O-Mat” – tend to be more presentoriented. Given ongoing demographic changes, what does this mean for the future viability of Germany’s democracy?