How young people are discriminated against

Although decisions are being made about their future, young people (at least those under the age of 16) are not allowed to vote. They face difficulties in the housing market: they often do not have a meaningful credit score because they lack the necessary payment history or contracts. And on talk shows, for example, teenagers' voices are rarely heard. This phenomenon is called adultism, i.e. discrimination based on an age perceived as too young. “Young people are often assigned a lower social value. They are still on probation,” explains Prof. Dr. Lars Alberth, professor of theories and methods of childhood research.

Together with Prof. Dr. Birte Siem, Professor of Social and Organisational Psychology of Social Work, he is systematically investigating adultism in Germany. Birte Siem emphasises: “The insidious thing is that adultism is one of the most socially legitimised forms of discrimination. Even young people often do not perceive disparaging remarks as unfair.” While discrimination on the basis of old age is well researched, adultism is still considered a young field of research: ’The term comes from research on children and young people as members of social movements fighting for their rights in the Global South. We will first define it scientifically and determine the state of research," explains Birte Siem.

The study examines experiences of discrimination among people aged between 14 and 27. Because it focuses on young adults, the study also refers to discrimination based on perceived youth. In a representative survey of 4,000 participants, Birte Siem measures, among other things, how often and in which areas of life (e.g. in contact with authorities, in the health sector) young people experience discrimination, and to what extent their young age interacts with other characteristics that are grounds for discrimination (e.g. gender or social background). Lars Alberth works in group workshops with young people to explore their specific experiences: How do young people experience discrimination? What do they perceive as derogatory? Where are their rights violated? Do they seek help? The group workshops also collect non-verbal data such as images, photos and graphic representations to make the experience of adultism more accessible.

Unusual: the young people are not only the subject of the study, but also help to shape it. A diverse participatory advisory board consisting of 16 young people from all over Germany is working with the researchers to develop the questionnaires for the representative survey and is involved in reporting to the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency.

The study primarily examines areas of public life such as education, health, transport, public authorities and the media. Initial findings are expected in summer 2026.