Our Theory of Change
We are witnessing an alarming trend of increasing political disaffection, sympathy for autocracies, and disillusionment towards democracy among young generations (Van der Brug, 2025).
In the last EU elections, voter turnout was 51% but only 36% among voters under 25 (Cole, 2025). At the same time, research reveals only 57% of Gen Z are actively in favor of democracy, while 21% would be ready to support autocratic rule under certain unspecified circumstances (TUI Foundation, 2024).
Palumba was born as a group of young people who feel deeply worried about the future of our democracies and want to do something about it.
We know voting is a social habit and that it builds with practice: If you start voting when you’re young, you’re more likely to keep voting throughout your life (Schäffer, 2019; Dinas 2012; Zeglovits & Aichholzer, 2014; Bhatti, 2018).
So, when we look at low voter turnouts among young people today, we have to ask ourselves how many people will be going to the polls in 10 or 20 years from now? And, whose voices will these people represent?
The generation born between 1995 and 2010 behaves and interacts with politics differently than older populations. This is evident in heightened levels of polarization and misinformation.
Differently from different generations, we consume political content almost exclusively through digital platforms. We don’t adhere to a political ideology but we decide who to vote for based on specific topics or themes that really matter to us. In the context of elections, we decide who or the party to vote for at the last minute the day before the election or the day of the election itself.
This is where Palumba comes in.
Our app embeds the principles of Voting Advice Applications into a comprehensive electoral companion designed by and for young generations. We think about the form, the language, form, and design to appeal to young people.
We are non-partisan. We do not care who you vote for. For us, what matters is that young people engage and take ownership of democratic institutions because the future of democracy really depends on us.
