ABSTRACT
The European Union offers many chances to its young citizens. However, these privileges are not equally available for all young people. This study investigated whether excluded vs. non-excluded young people differ regarding their demographic characteristics, future visions and worries, and their engagement and identification patterns with the EU. The sample comprised 1,385 young people aged 16 to 25 years living in Austria. Social exclusion is when people feel isolated from society. In this study, social exclusion was operationally defined as perceiving oneself to have been discriminated in at least six components (e.g., from school). 18.3% of the young people frequently experienced social exclusion. More excluded (22%) than non-excluded (14.9%) young people want Austria to leave the EU. Excluded young people show higher non-conventional participation but lower levels of belonging and satisfaction with the EU compared to their non-excluded peers. Excluded young people prioritize social cohesion and the reduction of the EU more; they worry more about unemployment, diseases and violence, state surveillances and repressions, and the influx of migrants compared to their non-excluded peers. Implications for future EU policy are discussed.
