The German report of the “Eurodesk Youth Info Survey 2025” explores young people’s motivations, barriers and information needs regarding international mobility. Key challenges include lack of time, climate concerns and reliance on family support. The study highlights the need for targeted youth information strategies using schools, families and social media.
Youth Info Survey 2025: Mobility and the Role of Youth Information
German National Report
Imprint Publisher Eurodesk Deutschland c/o
Published in 2026 Author Ondřej BÁRTA, a freelance youth researcher and consultant specialised in the areas of youth participation, mobility, volunteering, and non-formal learning Proofreading Dorothea Harles Designer Annina Harbolla DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18327011 Please quote this publication as follows: Bárta, O. (2026). Youth Info Survey 2025: Mobility and the Role of Youth Information. German National Report. Published by Eurodesk Deutschland. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18327011 Funding
The publication does not represent the opinion of the Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ). Responsibility for the content of the publication lies with the author.
2
Table of Contents
1. What is the Eurodesk Youth Info Survey 2025? ..............................................................7 2. What do German Young People think about mobility? ...................................................8 Beneficial impacts of mobility...........................................................................................8 Preferred mobility activities ..............................................................................................9 Length of mobility...........................................................................................................11 Preferred mobility formats ..............................................................................................12 3. How do German young people learn about mobility?...................................................13 Preference of sources ....................................................................................................14 Usefulness of sources and topics ...................................................................................19 General online search preference ...................................................................................22 Use of social media in general ........................................................................................23 Using social media to search for mobility information ......................................................25 4. How did German young people experience mobility in 2022 and 2023?........................28 Use of different mobility types ........................................................................................29 Use of mobility programmes ...........................................................................................30 Use of Erasmus+ ............................................................................................................32 Use of the European solidarity corps ...............................................................................33 Sources of information supporting 2022 and 2023 mobilities ...........................................34 Motivation factors ..........................................................................................................36 Application process .......................................................................................................38 Mobility experience satisfaction and impact....................................................................39 5. What mobility challenges do young people identify? ...................................................41 Reasons for not going abroad..........................................................................................41 Challenges for mobility...................................................................................................42 Barriers during a mobility experience ..............................................................................44 Challenges of coming back from a mobility experience....................................................46 6. Conclusions ..............................................................................................................47 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................49
3
List of Figures Figure 1:
Climate change concerns in the mobility context, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. _______________________________________ 8 Perceived benefits of mobility experiences, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. ___________________________________________ 9 Summary overview of overall interest in various mobility activities among German youth. ___________________________________________________________ 9 Interest in various mobility activities, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries, part I. _________________________________________ 10 Interest in various mobility activities, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries, part II. ________________________________________ 11 Summary overview of overall interest in mobility lengths among German youth.11 Interest in mobility lengths, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. _________________________________________________________ 12 Interest in mobility options, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. _________________________________________________________ 13 Awareness of the website of the German Eurodesk office among German youth. ________________________________________________________________________ 14 Summary overview of overall agreement on usage of potential sources of mobility-related information among German youth with no search experience. 14 Summary overview of usage of sources of mobility-related information used by German youth with search experience. ____________________________________ 15 Potential sources of mobility-related information, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries with no search experience, part I. _______ 15 Potential sources of mobility-related information, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries with no search experience, part II. ______ 16 Usage of sources of mobility-related information, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries with search experience, part I. __________ 17 Usage of sources of mobility-related information, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries with search experience, part II. _________ 18 Usage of sources of mobility-related information, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries with search experience, part III. _________ 19 Summary overview of overall usefulness of information sources, among German youth. __________________________________________________________________ 20 Usefulness of information sources, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries with search experience. ______________________________ 21 Summary overview of overall usefulness of information types, among German youth. __________________________________________________________________ 21 Summary overview of overall usefulness of methods of receiving information, among German youth. ___________________________________________________ 22 Summary overview of overall preferences of searching for information in the online environment, among German youth. ________________________________ 22 Preferences of searching for information in the online environment, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. ______________________ 23 Summary overview of overall usage of social media platforms, among German youth. __________________________________________________________________ 24 Usage of social media platforms, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries _____________________________________________________ 25 Summary overview of usage of social media platforms for search of mobility- related information, among German youth. ________________________________ 26
Figure 2:
Figure 3:
Figure 4:
Figure 5:
Figure 6: Figure 7:
Figure 8:
Figure 9:
Figure 10:
Figure 11:
Figure 12:
Figure 13:
Figure 14:
Figure 15:
Figure 16:
Figure 17:
Figure 18:
Figure 19:
Figure 20:
Figure 21:
Figure 22:
Figure 23:
Figure 24:
Figure 25:
4
Figure 26:
Usage of social media platforms for mobility-related information search, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. __________ 27 Doublechecking of information found on social media platforms, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. ________________________ 28 Share of young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. ____ 29 Summary overview of mobility activities used by young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023, among German youth._____________ 30 Summary overview of formats of mobility experience used by young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023, among German youth. 30 Summary overview of mobility schemes used by young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023, among German youth._____________ 30 Mobility schemes used by young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. _________________________________________________________ 31 Summary overview of mobility schemes used by young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023 and used Erasmus+ as the mobility support scheme, among German youth. ___________________________________ 32 Mobility schemes used by young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023 and used Erasmus+ as the mobility support scheme, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries, part I. ____ 32 Mobility schemes used by young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023 and used Erasmus+ as the mobility support scheme, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries, part II.____ 33 Summary overview of mobility schemes used by young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023 and used European Solidarity Corps as the mobility support scheme, among German youth. _______________________ 33 Mobility schemes used by young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023 and used European Solidarity Corps as the mobility support scheme, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. _______________________________________________________________ 34 Summary overview of sources of mobility-related information in young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023, among German youth. __________________________________________________________________ 35 Sources of mobility-related information in young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. _______________________________________________ 35 Summary overview of motivations of young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023, among German youth. _________________ 36 Motivations of young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. __ 37 Summary overview of support in drafting mobility applications of young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023, among German youth. __________________________________________________________________ 38 Support in drafting mobility applications of young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. _______________________________________________ 38 Summary overview of developments in young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023, among German youth. _________________ 39 Developments in young people who went abroad for a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. ________________________________________________________________________ 40
Figure 27:
Figure 28:
Figure 29:
Figure 30:
Figure 31:
Figure 32:
Figure 33:
Figure 34:
Figure 35:
Figure 36:
Figure 37:
Figure 38:
Figure 39:
Figure 40:
Figure 41:
Figure 42:
Figure 43:
Figure 44:
Figure 45:
5
Figure 46:
Summary overview of reasons for not participating in a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023, among German youth. ______________________________________ 41 Reasons for not participating in a mobility experience in 2022 or 2023, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. __________ 42 Summary overview of challenges in accessing the mobility programmes, as faced by those who went abroad in 2022 or 2023, among German youth. _____ 43 Summary overview of challenges preventing young people from going abroad in 2022 or 2023, among German youth. ______________________________________ 43 Challenges preventing young people from going abroad in 2022 or 2023, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. __________ 43 Summary overview of challenges occurring during mobility periods, as faced by those who went abroad in 2022 or 2023, among German youth, part I. ________ 44 Summary overview of challenges preventing young people from going abroad in 2022 or 2023, among German youth, part II. ________________________________ 44 Challenges in going abroad in 2022 or 2023, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries, part III. ___________________________________ 45 Summary overview of challenges occurring after mobility periods, as faced by those who went abroad in 2022 or 2023, among German youth.______________ 46 Summary overview of challenges preventing young people from going abroad in 2022 or 2023, among German youth. ______________________________________ 46 Awareness of culture shock phenomena, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries. _______________________________________________ 47
Figure 47:
Figure 48:
Figure 49:
Figure 50:
Figure 51:
Figure 52:
Figure 53:
Figure 54:
Figure 55:
Figure 56:
6
1. What is the Eurodesk Youth Info Survey 2025? The Eurodesk Youth Info Surveys are conducted regularly in order to provide insights into the domain of youth mobility information. The previous surveys were conducted in 2017 (Sabuni 2018), in 2019 (Sabuni 2019), in 2022 (Bárta 2022), and this latest one in 2024 (Bárta 2025). The full international report, titled Eurodesk Youth Info Survey 2025 (further referred to as the main report 2025), has already been published, and we invite you to browse through it online or in a hard copy, as it provides insights from 7144 respondents between 13 and 35 years of age residing in one of the countries of the EU mobility schemes, such as Erasmus+ or the European Solidarity Corps. This report does not reiterate the general findings from the main report 2025; it focuses solely on exploring views of the 1878 young people from Germany who filled in the survey. Its purpose is to identify their specific needs and experiences, as well as the challenges they face. This is achieved by comparing the German youth with the young people from all other countries, and by presenting Germany-specific summary results. Comparing these two groups shows in what areas the German young people voice the same opinions as their peers from other countries, and where their views differ, while the summary results provide an overview of results focusing solely on German youth 1 . It needs to be noted that while the German sample is very similar in terms of respondent backgrounds (e.g., minority background, size of settlement where young people lived, etc.), to the overall sample of young people from other countries, there is one exception which may have affected the results presented in this report. The German sample consist almost exclusively of young people aged 16 to 23. A Sample of young people from other countries also includes young people 13-15 years old (6% in comparison with 0% in case of the German sample), and young people 24-35 years old (26% in comparison with 3% in the German sample). It is therefore reasonable to read this report as only relating to German young people aged 16 to 23, and to keep this in mind when considering any differences presented therein. This differences in the age profile of the European sample and the German national sample might have resulted from the way the respondents were recruited for the survey in Germany. Eurodesk Germany promoted the survey in its newsletter for young people. The newsletter statistics show that 2,463 young people clicked on the link to the survey, suggesting many of the respondents indeed came from the group of the newsletter recipients. The Eurodesk Germany newsletter started in 2022 and mainly consists of young people who applied to DiscoverEU tickets and subscribed to the newsletter for more information. The young people are mostly eighteen when they apply to DiscoverEU, with a new cohort added each year. Therefore, young people subscribing for the Eurodesk Germany newsletter would be largely in the age group of 18-20 in 2024 when the survey was conducted, influencing the age profile of the German national sample. The findings of this report aim to help youth information services better tailor their approach, thereby improving information delivery and mobility experience of the German youth.
1 All results are rounded to the nearest whole number, and the graphs featured in this report only show results where the differences between the German youth and their peers from other countries are statistically significant.
7
2. What do German Young People think about mobility? The Eurodesk Youth Information Survey 2025 provided young people with an opportunity to share their opinions on mobility in general. For overall results, refer to the main report 2025. Young Germans are just as open to going abroad as their peers from other countries (about 69% of them are very open to going abroad, and additional 29% are open to it). Young Germans are, however, more discouraged from going abroad by climate change concerns (see Figure 1), with 41% of them stating climate change concerns in comparison with only 29% of their peers from other countries. Youth information services should use this finding and place a corresponding emphasis on sharing information about green travel options and other ways of mitigating the environmental impact of mobility, as this might encourage more German young people to seek mobility experiences.
Figure 1: Climate change concerns in the mobility context, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries.
Are climate change concerns discouraging you from going abroad for a mobility experience?
Germans
7%
34%
43%
16%
Others
8%
21%
43%
30%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Strongly agree b) Agree d) Disagree e) Strongly disagree
Beneficial impacts of mobility Both young Germans and their peers from other countries consider a mobility experience to be beneficial to their continuous education (about 98%). German youth, however, are less enthusiastic about the benefits of the mobility experiences to their personal and professional lives (see Figure 2). While the overall rates of appreciation of mobility experiences for personal and professional lives are similarly high in the group of German youth and in the group of their peers from other countries (over 95% for both the German youth and those from other countries), German young people are less prone to enthusiasm, with 52% of them stating they believe mobility experience to be very positive to their personal life (in comparison with 62% in their peers from other countries), and 42% of them seeing very positive benefits for their professional life (in contrast to 62% in their peers from other countries). Youth information services may use these findings for example by sharing real life examples or research proof of positive impacts of mobilities on various aspects of young people’s lives.
8
Figure 2: Perceived benefits of mobility experiences, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries.
How do you perceive the impact of a mobility experience for your personal life?
Germans
52%
45%
Others
62%
35%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very positive b) Positive d) Negative e) Very negative
How do you perceive the impact of a mobility experience for your professional life?
Germans
42%
53%
Others
62%
36%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very positive b) Positive d) Negative e) Very negative
Preferred mobility activities All in all, German youth is most interested in traveling, followed by doing internships, working, and studying (see Figure 3).
Figure 3: Summary overview of overall interest in various mobility activities among German youth.
Note: Sum of "Very interested" and "Interested" options is used as the indicator of the overall agreement. The question read “What would you like to do abroad?”.
When it comes to different mobility activities, young Germans are just as enthusiastic about studying and internships as their peers from other countries (about 80% and about 83% would be very interested or interested, respectively). The only mobility format in which young Germans are
9
more enthusiastic than their peers from other countries is about going abroad to travel (90% are very interested in comparison with 84% in their peers from other countries). In all other mobility formats, young Germans are less interested than their peers from other countries (see Figure 4 and Figure 5). The largest difference shows in the case of youth exchanges and summer camps (the overall interest of 71% in contrast to 81% of their international peers) and training courses (the overall interest of 69% compared to 85% in other nations). These are interesting results, and youth information services may utilise the high interest in traveling as such to boost interest in many other mobility formats, as travels are an integral part of any mobility experience. Youth exchanges and summer camps, for example, offer plenty of opportunities to travel around and meet up young people from other countries. Figure 4: Interest in various mobility activities, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries, part I.
What would you like to do abroad? To attend a youth exchange or summer camp
Germans
41%
30%
29%
Others
56%
25%
19%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very interested b) Interested c) Not interested
What would you like to do abroad? To volunteer
Germans
35%
33%
32%
Others
44%
32%
24%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very interested b) Interested c) Not interested
What would you like to do abroad? To work
Germans
33%
47%
20%
Others
48%
35%
18%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very interested b) Interested c) Not interested
10
Figure 5: Interest in various mobility activities, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries, part II.
What would you like to do abroad? To attend a training course
Germans
30%
39%
30%
Others
51%
34%
15%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very interested b) Interested c) Not interested
What would you like to do abroad? To do seasonal work
Germans
28%
35%
37%
Others
37%
34%
29%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very interested b) Interested c) Not interested
Length of mobility When it comes to length of mobility, the most popular mobility lengths among German youth are 3 months, half a year, and one month (see Figure 6).
Figure 6: Summary overview of overall interest in mobility lengths among German youth.
Note: Sum of "Very interested" and "Interested" options is used as the indicator of the overall agreement. The question read “How long would you be interested in going abroad for?”.
German young people are just as interested in going abroad for a year as their peers from other countries (the overall interest level of about 63%), but they are more prone to going abroad for half a year (the overall interest of about 86% in comparison with 75% in their peers from other countries; see Figure 7) and for 3 months (the overall interest is about 87% in contrast to peers abroad who show about 82% of interest). When it comes to the shorter mobility formats, German young people are less interested than their peers in both a month long mobility (the percentage interested is about 82%, relative to about 85% among peers from other countries) and a week or
11
days-long mobilities (the overall interest of about 70% in comparison with about 82% in their peers from other countries). Figure 7: Interest in mobility lengths, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries.
How long would you be interested in going abroad for? About half a year
Germans
51%
35%
14%
Others
41%
34%
25%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very interested b) Interested c) Not interested
How long would you be interested in going abroad for? A few days or 1 week
Germans
44%
26%
30%
Others
59%
23%
18%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very interested b) Interested c) Not interested
The information services may use this finding to focus more on sharing more information on advantages and opportunities for year-long mobilities and on the short ones of a week or a few days to encourage German youth to use these formats. Given the high preferences of German youth in doing internships, working, or studying (see previous graphs), young people from Germany might indeed be interested in the long-term formats of a year or so, when the advantages are clearly outlined for them. Preferred mobility formats Young people from Germany align with their peers in preferences of the mobility options. They most prefer the in-person experiences, are somewhat interested in hybrid ones, and very little interested in the virtual mobilities. Figure 8 shows that German young people are even more interested in the in-person mobilities than their peers from other countries, but they are significantly less interested than their peers in hybrid experiences (the proportion of respondents interested is about 52%, compared with about 70% among peers abroad), and in virtual mobilities (the overall interest of about 17% in comparison with about 36% in their peers from other countries).
12
Figure 8: Interest in mobility options, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries.
How interested are you in the following formats? In- person experience: travel to another country and have the whole in-person experience.
Germans
84%
14%
2%
4%
Others
78%
18%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very interested b) Interested c) Not interested
How interested are you in the following formats? Hybrid experience: a mix of online and abroad activities.
Germans
12%
40%
47%
Others
24%
46%
30%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very interested b) Interested c) Not interested
How interested are you in the following formats? Virtual experience: participation is entirely online.
Germans
5%
12%
83%
Others
13%
23%
64%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very interested b) Interested c) Not interested
3. How do German young people learn about mobility? The Eurodesk Youth Information Survey 2025 provided young people with an opportunity to share their opinions on their information needs related to mobility. For overall results, refer to the main report 2025. About half of the young people from Germany visited the website of the German Eurodesk office (see Figure 9).
13
Figure 9: Awareness of the website of the German Eurodesk office among German youth.
Have you ever visited the following website? https://www.rausvonzuhaus.de
Germans
49,50%
50,50%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Yes b) No
German young people do not differ from their peers from other countries in their experience with searching for mobility-related information, as about 76% of them have already tried searching for such information. The Eurodesk Youth Information Survey 2025 provided both groups of young people (those with and those without the experience on searching for mobility-related information) with an opportunity to share the information sources they used. Preference of sources Figure 10 and Figure 11 summarise the overall results for German young people without and with experience of searching for mobility-related information. It is apparent that those with and those without search experience align on the most popular sources of information. In both groups, web search is by far the most likely source of mobility-related information for German youth, followed by friends and family, social media, and schools or universities.
Figure 10: Summary overview of overall agreement on usage of potential sources of mobility-related information among German youth with no search experience.
Note: Sum of "Very likely" and "Likely" options is used as the indicator of the overall agreement. The question read “If you wanted to learn more about mobility opportunities, would you turn to the following sources?”.
14
Figure 11: Summary overview of usage of sources of mobility-related information used by German youth with search experience.
Note: Percentages refer to the shares of respondents answering “Yes” to a question “What sources of information about mobility opportunities have you used?”.
Let’s first have a more detailed look at the young people who did not try searching for mobility- related information yet. Among those who did not yet try to search for mobility-related information, the following potential sources of information do not differ between the German youth and their peers from other countries: social media (about 89% overall agree they are willing to use it), regional youth portals (about 75% across the respondents indicate that they would use it), and the European Youth Portal (about 67% overall state they would use it). Schools and universities are almost as likely to be used by German youth as by their peers from other countries (about 86% overall agree in comparison with 89%, respectively). A similar result can be seen in case of friends and family (about 90% of German youth overall agree, in comparison with about 87% of their peers from other countries) and in case of a web search (about 99% of German youth overall agree, compared to about 98% of their peers from other countries).
Figure 12: Potential sources of mobility-related information, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries with no search experience, part I.
If you wanted to learn more about mobility opportunities, would you turn to the following sources: Eurodesk
Germans
22%
52%
23%
Others
24%
39%
28%
9%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very likely b) Likely d) Not likely e) Never
15
Figure 13: Potential sources of mobility-related information, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries with no search experience, part II.
If you wanted to learn more about mobility opportunities, would you turn to the following sources: Youth information centres or services
Germans
9%
42%
43%
5%
Others
26%
46%
23%
6%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very likely b) Likely d) Not likely e) Never
If you wanted to learn more about mobility opportunities, would you turn to the following sources: Youth club / organisation
Germans
8%
32%
52%
8%
Others
28%
42%
23%
7%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very likely b) Likely d) Not likely e) Never
If you wanted to learn more about mobility opportunities, would you turn to the following sources: EuropeDirect
Germans
8%
23%
60%
10%
Others
15%
28%
42%
15%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very likely b) Likely d) Not likely e) Never
If you wanted to learn more about mobility opportunities, would you turn to the following sources: EURES
Germans
7%
23%
60%
10%
Others
16%
27%
43%
14%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very likely b) Likely d) Not likely e) Never
16
The only source of information that German young people with no experience of searching for mobility-related information saw as more likely to use than their peers from other countries was Eurodesk (about 74% overall agree in comparison with 63%, respectively; see Figure 12). This is a positive result, as it indeed places the German Eurodesk office among the highly relevant potential information sources. On the other hand, there are many information sources which German young people marked as less likely to use than their peers from other countries (see Figure 13). EURES and Europe Direct would be used by about 30% of the German youth in contrast to 43% of their peers in Europe. Youth clubs or youth organisations would be used by about 40% of German youth, compared with 70% of their peers from other countries. Lastly, youth information centres or services, the use rate is the highest with about 51% for Germans versus 72% youth abroad. These information sources either need boost in awareness among young Germans, or they are less likely to be effective or efficient in delivering mobility information. Let’s now have a more detailed look at the young people who already did try searching for mobility-related information. Almost all young people from Germany as well as their peers from other countries used web search (99% and 98%, respectively). Young people from Germany were more likely to use some information sources than their peers from other countries (see Figure 14), namely: friends and family (87% in comparison with 72% in their peers from other countries), Eurodesk (63% versus 54% among their peers in Europe), and schools or universities (82% while their peers from other countries report 78%). There are also information sources which German young people used less than their counterparts from other countries, namely (see Figure 15 and Figure 16): youth information centres or services, youth clubs or organisations, EURES, European Youth Portal, regional or national youth portals, Europe Direct, and social media. All the information in this section is useful to the youth information services mostly in strategic planning. While some information campaigns can be planned internationally and German young people are just as likely to be reached via certain information sources, some are better planned nationally, as in some cases usage of information sources can differ substantially.
Figure 14: Usage of sources of mobility-related information, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries with search experience, part I.
What sources of information about mobility opportunities have you used? Friends and family
Germans
87%
13%
Others
72%
28%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Yes c) No
17
Figure 15: Usage of sources of mobility-related information, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries with search experience, part II.
What sources of information about mobility opportunities have you used? European Youth Portal
Germans
56%
44%
Others
72%
28%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Yes c) No
What sources of information about mobility opportunities have you used? Regional and National Youth Portal(s)
Germans
28%
72%
Others
41%
59%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Yes c) No
What sources of information about mobility opportunities have you used? Youth information centres or services
Germans
24%
76%
Others
50%
50%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Yes c) No
18
Figure 16: Usage of sources of mobility-related information, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries with search experience, part III.
What sources of information about mobility opportunities have you used? Youth club / organisation
Germans
24%
76%
Others
49%
51%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Yes c) No
What sources of information about mobility opportunities have you used? EuropeDirect
Germans
7%
94%
Others
17%
83%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Yes c) No
What sources of information about mobility opportunities have you used? EURES
Germans
4%
96%
Others
21%
79%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Yes c) No
Usefulness of sources and topics Acknowledging that not all information sources need to be perceived as useful by young people, the Eurodesk Youth Information Survey 2025 asked young people to rate usefulness of various information sources. All in all, there are six information sources which are rated as very useful by German youth (see Figure 17). These are videos, school or university events or services, specialised websites, social
19
media, peers and classmates, and family and relatives. The information sources used the least by young Germans are radio and television, and messaging apps.
Figure 17: Summary overview of overall usefulness of information sources, among German youth.
Note: Sum of "Very useful" and "Useful" options is used as the indicator of the overall usefulness. The question read “How would you rate the usefulness of receiving information about mobility opportunities from the following sources?”.
German young people rate usefulness of the following information sources the same as their counterparts from other countries: Only 40% of respondents consider radio or television as useful, while about 87% evaluate family and peers as useful. 91% rate school or university events and services as practical as well as videos. Some of the information sources are rated very similarly by the German youth and their peers from other countries, such as videos (about 91% of the Germans and 85% of their European peers rate as useful), stands or presentations at fairs or events (about 80% rate them as useful compared with about 81% among their international peers), social media (about 88% of the Germans agreed in contrast to 92% on European level), peers or classmates (about 88% agreement rate compared to 83% on European level), online seminars or webinars (about 64% of respondents consider it useful versus about 71% of peers abroad.), and emails with updates or e-newsletters (about 66% rate as overall useful in comparison with about 74% in their peers from other countries). Some of the information sources are rated as more useful by German youth next to their peers from other European countries. 73% of the Germans and 60% of their peers evaluate flyers and posters as useful, while 47% of the German respondents and 34% of the European ones rate magazines or newspapers as helpful. 87% of the Germans and 76% of their peers would consider family and relatives as a helpful source. There are two sources of information which are rated by German youth as significantly less useful, compared to their counterparts from other countries (see Figure 18). These are messaging apps (only about 31% value them as useful compared to about 58% on the European level), and mobility advisors or counsellors (about 58% rate as overall useful in contrast to about 75% in their peers from other countries).
20
Figure 18: Usefulness of information sources, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries with search experience.
How would you rate the usefulness of receiving information about mobility opportunities from the following sources? Mobility advisors / counsellors
Germans
22%
36%
42%
Others
40%
35%
25%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very useful
b) Useful
c) Not useful
How would you rate the usefulness of receiving information about mobility opportunities from the following sources? Messaging apps
Germans
9%
22%
69%
Others
27%
31%
43%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very useful
b) Useful
c) Not useful
Exploring further the information needs of young people in the mobility domain, the Eurodesk Youth Information Survey 2025 offered an opportunity to rate usefulness of various types of information related to learning mobilities. There are only very slight differences in the priorities shared by German youth and priorities outlined by their peers from other countries, and the overall summary (see Figure 19) shows that all of the information types are rated as highly useful by German youth.
Figure 19: Summary overview of overall usefulness of information types, among German youth.
Note: Sum of "Very useful" and "Useful" options is used as the indicator of the overall usefulness. The question read “What kind of information related to going abroad would you find helpful to receive?”.
Furthermore, young people were also invited to share their views on the usefulness of different methods of receiving information. In this case, similarly to the one above, German youth does not significantly differ from their peers in other countries. The summary overview (see Figure 20)
21
shows that while online platforms are seen as the most useful by German youth, they also appreciate hearing stories of their peers who already went abroad for a mobility period, and they also see workshops and information sessions at schools as useful formats. About two thirds of German youth also appreciate information centres and personalised support.
Figure 20: Summary overview of overall usefulness of methods of receiving information, among German youth.
Note: Sum of "Very useful" and "Useful" options is used as the indicator of the overall usefulness. The question read “How useful are the following methods for receiving information about mobility opportunities?”.
General online search preference Young people also shared their preferences when it comes to searching information in the online environment. All in all, almost all German young people browse websites, and a vast majority also watches videos, and checks out social media (see Figure 21).
Figure 21: Summary overview of overall preferences of searching for information in the online environment, among German youth.
Note: Sum of "Very likely" and "Likely" options is used as the indicator of the overall preferences. The question read “How do you usually find information about things that interest you online?”.
German young people do not significantly differ from their counterparts in other countries in most of the preferences, but there are two cases in which they differ largely (see Figure 22). German youth seem to be very reluctant to join online communities in contrast to their counterparts from other countries (about 27% rate as overall likely in comparison with about 60% in their peers from other countries), and they also seem to be much less interested in using hashtags (about 30% of respondents consider it likely versus about 44% of peers abroad).
22
Figure 22: Preferences of searching for information in the online environment, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries.
How do you usually find information about things that interest you online? I search for hashtags related to what I'm interested in
Germans
10%
20%
45%
25%
Others
19%
25%
31%
25%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very likely b) Likely d) Not likely e) Never
How do you usually find information about things that interest you online? I join or create online communities where people share information
Germans
8%
19%
58%
17%
Others
27%
33%
29%
11%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Very likely b) Likely d) Not likely e) Never
Use of social media in general Given the omnipresence of social media in contemporary society, and especially in the lives of young people, the Eurodesk Youth Info Survey 2025 also explored this area in connection with mobility information. Young people in Germany use social media in general to a very similar extent (91%) as their peers from other countries (95%). When exploring social media platforms in more detail, it becomes apparent that the most used social media in German youth is Instagram, with almost 90% using it daily, followed by TikTok and YouTube used by almost half of young people (see Figure 23).
23
Figure 23: Summary overview of overall usage of social media platforms, among German youth.
Note: Sum of "Multiple times a day" and "Once a day" options is used as the indicator of the overall usage. The question read “How often do you use the following social media and/or messaging app?”.
While young people from Germany use social media platforms to a similar extent as their fellows from other countries, they use some of the platforms less (see Figure 24). This is the case of Facebook (used by 13%, in contrast to 43% of their fellows), X (used by 8% of the German teens, compared with 19% teens using it on the European level), YouTube (utilized by 46% of the Germans and 59% of their peers), LinkedIn (used by 3% in Germany relative to 16% on the European level), and Telegram (overall used by 5%, in comparison with 14% of their peers from other countries). Moreover, there are much larger shares of young people from Germany who do not use many of these social networks at all, for example 73% do not use Facebook against only 29% of young people from other countries.
24
Figure 24: Usage of social media platforms, comparison of German youth and their peers from other countries
How often do you use the following social media and/or messaging app? Facebook
Germans
10%
3%
12%
73%
Others
30%
13%
12%
17%
29%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Multiple times a day
b) Once a day
c) A few times during the week
d) Less than once a week
e) Never
How often do you use the following social media and/or messaging app? X (formerly known as Twitter)
Germans
5%
3%
12%
76%
Others
12%
7%
9% 15%
58%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Multiple times a day
b) Once a day
c) A few times during the week
d) Less than once a week
e) Never
How often do you use the following social media and/or messaging app? LinkedIn
Germans
5%
12%
81%
Others
9% 7% 11%
17%
57%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
a) Multiple times a day
b) Once a day
c) A few times during the week
d) Less than once a week
e) Never
Using social media to search for mobility information Young people also had a chance to share their views on how likely it is that they will use each of the social media platforms for search of mobility-related information. All in all, German young people are most likely to use Instagram and YouTube in their search for mobility-related information, and about half of them are also likely to use TikTok. All other social media platforms are very marginal in German youth (see Figure 25).
25
Figure 25: Summary overview of usage of social media platforms for search of mobility-related information, among German youth.
Note: Sum of "Very likely" and "Likely" options is used as the indicator of the overall preferences. The question read “Which social media and/or messaging app would you use to find information about going abroad?”.
German youth have comparable preferences to their peers from other countries when it comes to using social media. About 90% of the German respondents preferred Instagram, while TikTok is preferred by about 50%. Snapchat, Reddit and Discord are rated by about 10% of the respondents as the preferred Social Media platform. German young people are more likely to use YouTube when searching for mobility-related information, in comparison with their peers from other countries (about 90% rate as overall likely in comparison with about 76% in their peers from other countries; see Figure 26). Most notably, however, German youth are less likely to use many of the social media platforms for mobility-related information search. This is in line with the generally lower usage of social media shown on the previous pages. Only 8% of German youth would use Facebook for mobility-related information search, compared to 52% of their peers abroad), only 9% of German youth would use LinkedIn (versus 30% internationally), only 7% of German youth would use X (versus 20% of European peers), and only 3% of German youth would use Telegram (versus 15% of fellows abroad). These are considerable differences, and they should be reflected in the national information sharing efforts across Germany, especially those aimed at 16-23-year-olds (as these are mostly represented in the German sample).
26
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs