Head of the Junge Union: “Young generation is neglected by politics”

JU boss Winkel “Young generation is neglected by politics” As of: November 8th, 2026 • 8:43 p.m

Many young people feel politically ignored. This is also because plans such as the pension reform are not being implemented, says Winkel, chairman of the Junge Union, in the report from Berlin. The government has a lot to make up for.

Many young people are dissatisfied with the work of the federal government - this was shown by the protests of the so-called Generation Z last weekend. The Junge Union (JU) can understand that many young people are taking to the streets. The young generation is being “neglected by politics as a whole,” said Federal Chairman Johannes Winkel in the report from Berlin. "And that urgently needs to change in Germany."

According to the current ARD-DeutschlandTrend, only five percent of the 18 to 34-year-olds surveyed say that the CDU/CSU are committed to the interests of young people. For the SPD it is only three percent. The opposition parties did significantly better: Left Party: 29 percent, AfD: 21 percent, Greens: 12 percent.

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For Winkel, the ARD survey result is “disastrous” – but also “no wonder”. “For example, the pension decision that was made last year is of course catastrophic for the young generation,” said the CDU politician. By this, Winkel means the planned pension reform.

The Junge Union had campaigned for the establishment of a pension commission that would draw up proposals for reform. If the federal government implements this now, “the government can make up for a lot” and also gain the trust of the young generation as a Union, emphasized Winkel.

According to the CDU politician, the proposals have already been “100 percent agreed upon”. For example, SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch said at the end of August "that the pension package must be implemented one-to-one. Therefore, I would like to remind you of his own words at this point," said Winkel.

“If you announce something, you have to implement it,” said the JU chairman. "And if you don't do that, then you shouldn't be surprised if people lose trust in politics."

SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch on the discussions between the government parties on the occasion of the budget consultations Report from Berlin, Das Erste, November 8th, 2026 • 6:00 p.m. Miersch expects a pension agreement to be reached soon. They said "yes" to the pension package, Miersch replied in the report from Berlin. However, there is no one-to-one implementation there. According to the SPD politician, 30 of the 33 proposals are completely undisputed. I am convinced that in the end we will be able to agree on the last three points and “put together a good overall package”. He expects this in the coming weeks.

In his opinion, the deduction-free pension after 45 years of insurance is also an issue of justice for young people. The Pension Commission proposed abolishing this - also known as the "pension at 63".

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The SPD politician defended high investments and the resulting debts: "If we didn't invest now, then the debts would be much higher, especially for younger generations. And that's why the funds we're taking into our hands are money well spent." For example, “billions were invested precisely to invest in the educational infrastructure”.

As the Rheinische Post recently reported, only a fraction of the federal government's special funds that states and municipalities are supposed to receive for educational infrastructure have so far been paid out. The newspaper cited a response from the Federal Ministry of Finance to a written request from the Greens. Accordingly, of the planned 1.2 billion euros, only around seven million euros have so far flowed into schools, daycare centers and science infrastructure.

This topic in the program: The First | Report from Berlin | November 8, 2026 | 6:00 p.m