Poll shows 1 in 4 young people in Flanders supports Vlaams Belang in upcoming election
One in four young people eligible to vote in the Flemish Parliament elections in June intend to support far-right party Vlaams Belang. Among 18- to 22-year-olds, no other party scores as highly, according to a poll commissioned by Hogeschool PXL and TV Limburg on Friday. The traditional centre parties - Christian democrats CD&V, socialists Vooruit and liberals Open VLD - are struggling to capture the interest of the younger demographic.
If elections for the Flemish Parliament were held today, Vlaams Belang would secure 24.9 per cent of the votes among 18- to 22-year-olds. The second-largest party among these first-time voters is green party Groen, with 17.7 per cent, followed by Flemish nationalists N-VA (15.8 per cent) and far-left PVDA (13.2 per cent).
CD&V (10.0 per cent), Vooruit (9.8 per cent) and Open VLD (7.6 per cent) are polling much lower among young adults.
The poll also shows that Bart de Wever (N-VA) and Jos D'Haese (PVDA) are the most favoured among young Flemish people, with 14 per cent regarding them as the best politicians. Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) and Tom Van Grieken (Vlaams Belang) follow closely with 13 per cent.
Simultaneously, 25 per cent of surveyed young people consider Van Grieken as the least favourable politician in Flanders. There is also considerable opposition towards former Vooruit leader Conner Rousseau (16 per cent) and Vlaams Belang's Filip Dewinter (8 per cent).
Finally, it appears that a majority of young people have a genuine interest in politics. 16 per cent find politics very interesting, and 41 per cent find it relatively interesting. On the other hand, a majority of respondents express little confidence (62 per cent) or no confidence (9 per cent) in politics.
The poll surveyed 1,085 young people from across Flanders eligible to vote for the Flemish Parliament for the first time in the elections on 9 June.
#FlandersNewsService | Vlaams Belang's Tom Van Grieken delivers a speech © BELGA PHOTO KRISTOF VAN ACCOM
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