Young voters in Berlin: The heart beats on the left

If you would like to treat yourself to a little joy after this election Sunday in Berlin: the youth in the capital have a left-wing heart. 43 percent of 16 to 24-year-olds voted for the Left, and for 25 to 34-year-olds it was as high as 49 percent - for comparison: in the last House of Representatives election in 2023, the Left only achieved 26 percent in these age groups.

After elections, people are usually concerned about the youth. In Saxony-Anhalt two weeks ago, 43 percent of young people under 25 voted for the right-wing extremist AfD, while only 18 percent voted for the Left. In the 2025 federal election, the AfD grew by a double-digit percentage among the U25 (but so did the Left).

You can see from this that the well-known urban-rural divide is also evident among young people: people with higher educational qualifications are disproportionately represented in the cities, and they tend to vote left-wing, regardless of their age. In Berlin, half of 25 to 64-year-olds have a university degree, compared to an average of only one in three nationwide.

And of course the academics have children - and the German school system is notoriously unfair, and they will almost certainly also graduate from high school.

The taz is an independent, left-wing and opinionated daily newspaper. We have been arguing in our comments, essays and debate texts since the taz was founded in 1979. We often cannot and do not want to agree on an opinion. That's why you'll find some completely opposing positions here - all part of the very broad left-wing spectrum of opinions.

The left-wing Berlin youth is once again exposing the social and political divisions in this country - because it is also true: in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where elections were also held, the village youth (if they still exist demographically) are blue. In almost all rural constituencies, the AfD has over 40 percent, but if you look at the municipal level, things look even bleaker. The villages are small; If 80 percent voted for the AfD mayor there, you might prefer to go to Berlin.

Berlin's left-wing youth can also be seen as hope on the blue horizon. There is a next generation that will stand up to the right. Those who take on the generational change in the youth club in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania or work in a project with refugees.

And, one can also have hope: the young people in Berlin have also helped to put the rent issue on the political agenda. It will help decide the coalition question in the capital: Even if the Left does not get through with its maximum demand for the expropriation of large housing companies from the possible partners SPD and Greens - it was elected primarily for this issue and will now have to offer its voters something.

If you're graduating from high school in two years and don't want to move to the countryside, shared rooms in Berlin now cost an average of just under 700 euros. The parents can't afford to pay too much either: the high rental costs have long since put a strain on those on average high earners.

Berlin's youth voted for social justice, against the shift to the right, and, by the way, also for a woman with a migrant background at the head of this city. How incredibly uplifting.