By Antonis Anzoletou

It is perfectly normal for parties to target young voters. This is a very special public which is to a large extent the unsettled factor of the elections. Questions specific to ages 17-24 are many. How many will go to vote, how will they be affected by the accident in Tempe, what are their criteria and their orientation, if they are influenced by their family environment, as well as what event shaped their political opinion in the last four years.

According to the data from the exit polls of 2019 o SYRIZA it has the “prime seat” in the ages of 17-34. With a percentage of 36.8% it is ahead of New Democracy which follows with 30.6%. Third in line was MERA25 with 6%, the Change Movement with 5.7%, the KKE with 5.6%, the Golden Dawn with 4.7% and the Hellenic Solution with 3.2%. It is a fact that young people have a more left-wing attitude than the general population.

The dynamics that the official opposition party has among the younger age groups has led it many times to question the opinion polls, considering that the “little ones” are not easy to measure. And therefore the final impression cannot be representative. The influence of parties at younger ages is a broad and very interesting field of research for pollsters in the near future. It is no coincidence that the parties putting forward the political leaders have long indulged in a campaign to “charm” the youth through social media. Instagram and TikTok accounts are constantly flooded with appearances, messages and videos of the leaders of the factions. The youth of the parties have also been activated in the struggle to mobilize all forces ahead of the elections. Mobilization also exists in the region on the occasion of the presidents’ tours. The free pass was a characteristic initiative of the current government in order to “convers” with the youngest voters. New Democracy, SYRIZA and PASOK have very early included in their programs housing plans for young citizens who cannot find a home due to rising rents in many areas of the country.

“Unknown X” is also the new “bakery” that will be on the ballot for the first time. Some of them, those born in 2006 and 2005, are still going to school. Nineteen-year-olds and twenty-year-olds of 2004 and 2003 respectively will vote for the first time. They are also the most “feared” age group when it comes to abstinence. It is estimated that there are more than 400,000. The size is particularly large and can be understood if compared to his constituents Day25 which in the last elections reached 194,576 nationwide. It is clear, of course, that not everyone will visit the polling booths. Safe conclusions about the number of young people who will go to vote cannot be drawn. It is a fact that polls underestimate the percentage of those who do not intend to go to the polls, since someone who will not vote will avoid answering.