Young people in BiH increasingly abstain from elections

Looking at data from 2020, the percentage of young people who voted in that year’s Local Elections stood at 51.44 percent.

Two years later, that figure was slightly lower, with just over 47 percent exercising their right to vote in the General Elections, while turnout among young people in the 2024 Local Elections stood at 45.3 percent.

The “Political Literacy of Youth in BiH” study, conducted by the Institute for Youth Development KULT, showed that 42.2 percent of young people are somewhat or extremely interested in politics and political developments, while 38.5 percent said they are somewhat or completely uninterested in politics. Men are more interested in politics (48.4 percent) than women (35.8 percent).

The study also found that interest in politics increases with age. Young people in the oldest age group, from 25 to 30, are the most interested in political developments, while the highest level of disinterest was recorded among those aged 15 to 19.

Findings from focus groups show that young people’s participation in the electoral process is primarily driven by a sense of civic duty and a desire to influence change. Young people are more likely to vote for politicians who have a visible track record or offer clear solutions to problems within their jurisdiction.

Young people also revealed in focus groups that they sometimes fulfill their civic duty, that is, vote, even when they do not have a high opinion of politicians, with their vote in such cases representing a form of protest.

Young people who do not participate in elections despite having the right to vote say they are demotivated by the political offer, namely the candidates and parties they could vote for. This means that low voter turnout is not only a result of a lack of interest in politics, but also of young people’s assessment that the candidates and political options on offer do not provide sufficient reasons for them to participate.

The Institute’s research results show that 38.5 percent of young people do not follow political developments, including political party campaigns, while 17.9 percent follow only the political actors that interest them. Another 28.6 percent obtain information about political developments “in passing” through the media, while 15 percent make an effort to stay informed.

More than a third of young people (34.8 percent) said they do not read party platforms before voting. Of these, 19.7 percent said they never read them, while 15.1 percent said they do not read them because they believe parties will not fulfill any of the promises they make.

On the other hand, 36.4 percent of young people said they read party platforms and vote based on them. This shows that some young people make more informed decisions, but also that a significant share of young people are disconnected from the formal platforms of political parties.

Only 3.1 percent of young people in BiH trust political parties, while 48.1 percent said they do not trust them. Another 42.8 percent are undecided, saying they neither trust nor distrust political parties.

More than a third of young people believe that politicians generally fail to fulfill the promises they made before elections after winning office (38.4 percent).

Another 16.8 percent believe politicians do not fulfill their promises at all, while 25.8 percent believe they fulfill them only partially. Only 1.1 percent of young people believe that politicians fully deliver on their promises, the Institute for Youth Development KULT said.