Youth Protests in France Bring Rising Living Costs and Demographic Shift to the Forefront
Students in France are staging nationwide protests against living costs and school funding issues. Against an aging population, the declining proportion of the youth population makes young people's efforts for political representation and making their voices heard even more critical.
High school and university students in France have launched nationwide protest demonstrations against rising living costs, inadequate school funding, and the attitude of security forces.
Demographic data reveals that the weight of youth in France's population is decreasing. While young people aged 13-24 number 9.6 million and account for 14% of the total population, those aged 65 and over make up a 22% share with 15 million people. In 1968, the proportion of youth in the population was at the 19% level.
Following the protests, some political figures proposed lowering the voting age to 16 in order to increase the representation power of youth. However, expert Luc Rouban expressed doubts about the impact of this change on youth political participation. On the other hand, climate activist Greta Thunberg participated in a school protest held in the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb, supporting the youth movement.
Sources
- usnews.com · Link