Palumba - revolutionizing how young people vote
Last updated on Thursday, 20/02/2025
Palumba EU is a European youth organization and the driving force behind the "Tinder of EU politics." It has developed a nonpartisan voting advice app tailored to young people. During the European elections, it mobilized 170,000 first-time voters.
Traditional strategies increasingly fail to engage young generations in democratic duties like voting. Social science research shows that voting is a social habit that must be learned and cultivated at a young age. Palumba might be the answer to this democratic deficit: they make politics more understandable, accessible, and exciting—using an approach that aligns with young people's digital habits.
By Youth, For Youth
Palumba is currently working on the upcoming German elections. They have included all 13 political parties that appear on the majority of state election lists. The positioning of parties and youth organizations has primarily been determined through their direct participation. Party-specific positions and our open-source algorithm are publicly available on our website. To ensure the academic credibility of the project, they are also accompanied by a scientific advisory board. Professors from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Heidelberg University, the Hertie School, and Sciences Po Paris support their work. Palumba maintains its non-partisan nature, as they alone decide the content of our app.
How It Works
- Users respond to 25 political statements by swiping right (agree) or left (disagree).
- Each statement is accompanied by additional context, helping users better understand its significance.
- Based on their answers, the algorithm determines which parties align best with their interests.
- Personalized results on political matches are presented in an engaging, playful way—taking inspiration from formats young people already know and love (e.g., "Spotify Wrapped").
- For further details, users can explore each party's stance on all 25 statements directly on our website.
Why Palumba Stands Out
Palumba offers more nuanced answer options than other voting apps: Users can choose from "strongly agree," "somewhat agree," "neutral," "somewhat disagree," and "strongly disagree." This variety allows for a more precise analysis of political preferences. The 25 questions are carefully selected to cover the most relevant political issues specifically for young people.
The short completion time ensures that users stay focused and complete the survey. In addition, to answer choices, Palumba provides short, easy-to-understand background information, directly explaining political contexts. The interactive and gamified approach increases engagement and reduces dropout rates—young people stay involved longer and engage more deeply with political topics.