#12157. Has the Great Recession Shaped a Crisis Generation of Critical Citizens? Evidence from Southern Europe

July 2026publication date
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Journal’s subject area:
Sociology and Political Science;
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Abstract:
This article examines the potential emergence of a ‘new’ and ‘critical’ political generation in Southern Europe after an intense political period. Using country-specific classifications of political generations, we first describe the evolution of two main attitudes towards the political system–frequency of political discussion and satisfaction with democracy–and then propose a fourfold typology: happy, critical, unengaged, and disillusioned citizens. Grounded on political socialization theories we hypothesize that the crisis generation, which developed its main political attitudes during the Great Recession, will be particularly critical in the long term, combining dissatisfaction with political engagement. To identify this potential new generation, we use a longitudinal perspective and Eurobarometer data and find empirical support to identify such a ‘critical generation’ in Spain and Greece. In contrast, results in Italy and Portugal suggest an increase in happy citizens who are satisfied with how democracy works and politically engaged.
Keywords:
democratic satisfaction; Greece; Italy; political attitudes; Political generations; Portugal; Spain; young people

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