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1. Forthcoming policy developments

2. Ongoing debates

Forthcoming policy developments

The Commission for the Well-Being of Children and Young People (Trivselskommissionen) was established by the Danish Government in August 2023. Its mandate was to provide recommendations to support the well-being, empowerment and life skills of children and young people. The Commission has published its final report, including 35 recommendations in 2025.

The report sets out the Commission’s understanding of well-being, presents a status overview of the well-being of children and young people, describes a range of risk and protective factors relevant to current well-being challenges, and analyses recent societal developments that may help explain the increasing well-being challenges among children and young people. The report concludes with 35 recommendations aimed at strengthening well-being and preventing poor well-being among children and young people.

Ongoing debates

Every year, the Danish Youth Council (DUF) conducts a democracy survey.

According to the Democracy Analysis 2025, Danish youth remain strongly supportive of democracy, but participation patterns are changing. A large majority of young people (85 %) express that democracy is important or very important to them, yet traditional political engagement such as party membership and participation in elections has slightly declined compared to earlier years. Instead, more young people engage in issue-based activism, especially on topics such as climate change, gender equality, and mental health. Over half of young respondents report having taken part in campaigns, petitions or demonstrations within the past year.

In terms of formal political participation, the analysis confirms that youth voter turnout remains high by international standards, though slightly lowered from the 2017 to the 2021 election. DUF attributes this to weaker outreach to new voters and declining trust in politicians. The analysis points out that new forms of participation have grown: local youth councils (ungebyråd), school and student boards, and online youth movements have become increasingly influential channels for civic expression. The analysis highlights that Danish youth seek more direct influence on policies concerning education, climate, and well-being, and that municipalities play a key role in sustaining these participatory structures. Recent government initiatives, such as Ungeløftet in 2024, a national partnership focusing on young people without education or employment, and the continued strengthening of municipal youth councils, aim to increase young people’s voice and representation in decision-making processes.