Why protests in Europe could bring change or completely backfire

Footage of mass protests in Europe has been flooding newsfeeds for weeks, with demonstrators taking to the streets across the continent.

While the causes may be different in each country, experts say they speak to the overwhelming mood of discontent among young people.

Here's what's fuelling the mood and what could come of it.

Why are people protesting in Europe?

While the protest movements might appear to have a similar energy in reels on social media, they began with different aims.

In France, protests kicked off when students demanded better schools, while in Albania and Serbia they were about corruption and government accountability.

Affordable housing and the rising cost of living were the key issues in Spain, Portugal and Italy.

"But besides the specific spark, the common thread is the gap between what people expect from democratic governments and what they feel those governments are delivering, especially for young people," Gabriele Gratton, a politics and economics professor from the University of New South Wales, said.

"For many young people, the concern is not simply that education is underfunded or that housing is expensive.

"They fear an uncertain future and increasingly doubt that existing institutions are going to fix that uncertainty."

Gen Z facing more turbulence

Alina Cosma, an assistant professor of psychology at Trinity College Dublin, says young people are facing uncertain futures.

Dr Cosma says that all young people experience "turbulence" in adolescence, but the pressures on Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) are different.

There's the high cost of living, looming consequences of climate change and intense debate about the impacts artificial intelligence (AI) could have on future employment prospects.

"What makes [Generation Z's] experience distinctive is the combination of pressures and the uncertainty surrounding the transition to adulthood," Dr Cosma wrote in an article for The Conversation.

"Rather than asking whether today's young people have it harder than previous generations, we should ask more productive questions: what kind of society are we asking them to navigate?

"And what can be done to make it healthier, fairer and more hopeful?"

Will the protests result in real change?

Professor Gratton said some of the movements could achieve meaningful change.

"Serbia's student movement has, at least for the time being, been able to build an electoral alternative," he said.

"If the new government can respond to some of the young voters' grievances and improve living standards for most voters, then it may in fact reinforce democratic institutions."

But it's also possible for things to go awry.

"At this moment, it is hard to imagine that the recent protests in France will materialise into an electorally viable political movement," Professor Gratton said.

"If anything, they risk backfiring if they further fuel demand for law and order.

"But predicting future trajectories of new political movements is notoriously very hard."

A 'bad democracy trap'

The protests could also deepen mistrust of politicians and the wider political institutions, Professor Gratton said.

And this could stall progress.

"Our own research here at the UNSW Resilient Democracy Lab tells us that when voters' trust in their politicians and institutions falls below a threshold, even well-designed democracies with high-quality politicians may struggle to pursue meaningful ambitious reforms.

"We call this a 'bad democracy trap'."

What happens next could have some far-reaching impacts for European democracies.

"The real test in most of Europe today is whether the existing institutions are flexible enough to include these movements and ultimately answer these grievances," he said.

"If they can, their institutions will be stronger and more democratic as a result.

"If they cannot, frustrations with a specific government today can deepen into demand for non-democratic alternatives."