This report presents the consolidated findings of the UNMUTE project’s first qualitative research phase, drawing on national desk research and focus group discussions conducted in four partner countries: Cyprus, Italy, Lithuania and Spain. Each country implemented desk research and two focus groups – one with participants aged 14-18 and one with participants aged 18-30).

Across these four national contexts, young people aged 14-30 were invited to share their perceptions of democracy, their trust in institutions, their experiences of civic participation, and their connection to the European Union. The picture that emerges is one of young people who are thoughtful, aware, and in many cases already active – but who feel systematically excluded from meaningful democratic participation. Democracy is widely valued as a principle, yet experienced as exclusionary, especially for those under 18.

Four cross-cutting themes recur across all national contexts:

• Low institutional trust, shaped by specific experiences of being ignored, misled, or formally consulted but substantively sidelined;
• The gap between being heard and being listened to – young people are invited into formal spaces but rarely feel their voices influence actual decisions;
• Structural barriers that compound the disadvantages faced by migrants, young women, LGBTQI+ individuals, people from low-income backgrounds, and those from rural areas;
• Insufficient civic education – not just lack of knowledge, but absence of practical pathways for meaningful democratic engagement.