Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni faces a major “youth problem” as the country heads toward the upcoming national elections.
Polling and political data highlight a stark generational divide that could threaten her right-wing coalition’s grip on power.
While Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia) party and her wider coalition including Matteo Salvini’s League and Antonio Tajani’s Forza Italia enjoyed considerable youth backing when they first came to power, support among voters under 35 has plummeted to under 30%.
The center-left and progressive opposition bloc in contrast, commands nearly 50% support within the same age demographic.
Analysts point out that the administration has enacted few structural economic reforms to improve job prospects, wages, or housing access for young Italians, leaving many feeling alienated in a sluggish economy.
The result is a disaffection among 18- to 34-year-olds that may be crucial at a 2027 election.
The government has advanced a series of strict security and law-and-order decrees that critics and youth advocates argue disproportionately target youth expression, protests, and social movements.
With the political landscape shaping up to be a neck-and-neck race between her coalition and a unified center-left opposition, this heavy youth disaffection could become a decisive vulnerability for Meloni.
“Younger voters are clearly leaning towards the centre-left,” Lorenzo Pregliasco, head of the Youtrend polling agency.
As reported, the underlying tention has manifested in high-profile political moments such as intense youth mobilization during high-stakes national referendums signaling that younger demographics are increasingly energized to oppose the current administration.
