Is it simply a question of age?

In recent times, young people have challenged political institutions over their insufficient representation, heightened by climate movements and the Covid-19 pandemic. Public and academic discussions echo concerns about the under-representation of young individuals, both descriptively and substantively. Initially attributed to youth disengagement, recent scholarship acknowledges divergent political engagement among the youth. This shift emerged in the 2010s, and was further marked by increased turnout rates and political interest among young adults. The impact of representation on political attitudes and behaviours cannot be understated: inadequate feelings of representation lead to disengagement, while ample representation encourages involvement. However, while widespread among young people, the extent to which it spans across all generations or specific birth cohorts remains uncertain.

This study aims to explore the perceived representation of different age groups and birth cohorts, unravelling the origins of behavioural disparities. Given the general experience of under-representation by young people, they are expected to perceive lower levels of representation compared to older individuals, irrespective of their generation. Throughout life, a general increase in perceived representation is anticipated, but this may be closely tied to generational experiences, potentially causing certain generations to feel less represented due to their political socialization. Most studies on young people’s political interests and engagement are cross-sectional and therefore do not take into account generational effects. This study aims to contribute to the existing literature by combining survey data from the German election and Allbus studies from 1988 to 2021 to examine how age and generational experiences shape citizens' levels of perceived representation, as well as testing how stable perceived representation is over a life time.