Today's Edition
BERLIN (dpa)
Young people in Germany increasingly oppose military service, a study revealed on Thursday, amid calls for the measure to be reintroduced to strengthen the country's armed forces.
A YouGov study carried out for the TUI Foundation found that 55% of 16 to 26-year-old German residents reject a general military service programme, while 38% were in favour.
Results from the survey two years ago had 42% of young people in Germany supporting the policy, with 47% against it.
The German government has pledged to reinforce its military, the Bundeswehr, to meet the threat from Moscow in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis.
The coalition between Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democratic Union, the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union and the centre-left Social Democrats has agreed to increase recruitment via a voluntary military service programme.
But pressure is rising on Defence Minister Boris Pistorius to agree to a compulsory draft.
Young Germans support the EU
A large majority of young Germans favour remaining in the European Union, the survey found. At 80%, support was higher than in any other European country surveyed.
In the United Kingdom, which withdrew from the bloc following the 2016 Brexit referendum, some 73% of 16 to 26-year-olds would like to rejoin the EU.
The study found rising levels of polarisation among young people in Germany, with 43% describing themselves as left of centre and 14% as right-wing, up from 32% and 8% respectively in 2021.
Migration was seen as the most important political problem in the EU for 45% of young Germans, ahead of climate change and environmental protection, and foreign policy and defence, both on 39%.
A total of 6,703 young people from seven European countries participated in the survey between April and May.
