Brussels – In 2025, 24.3 per cent of young Europeans aged between 16 and 29 were involved in online activism on civic or political issues. This is revealed by Eurostat, which, in presenting the recently published data (24 April), explains how the internet is used both to express one’s opinion on an issue and to participate in online consultations or votes. This level of engagement stands at just 20.2 per cent for the European population as a whole, which therefore includes older men and women.
Slovenia (49.4 per cent), Latvia (33.3 per cent), and the Netherlands (31.3 per cent) stand out for having the highest percentages, with Italy (30.9 per cent) just behind in fourth place for online activism. Conversely, Belgium (12.3 per cent), the Czech Republic (14.3 per cent), Sweden and Greece (both at 16.1 per cent) recorded the lowest rates of youth participation.
The data published by Eurostat are drawn from the European Union’s annual survey on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) by households and individuals. Since 2002, the survey has collected information on the following topics: internet use, e-commerce, e-government, privacy and personal data protection, the Internet of Things (IoT), green ICT and digital skills.
The figures collected also shed light on the relationship between Europeans and new technologies, and specifically the internet. In twenty-three of the twenty-seven EU countries, young people are more likely to use the internet for civic participation. In this regard, the data also show a wider gap in: Slovenia (49.4 per cent of young people compared to 33.5 per cent of the total population), Latvia (33.3 per cent compared to 24.2 per cent) and Italy (30.9 per cent compared to 24.5 per cent), which also ranks among the top six countries for online activism by young people.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
