Politici worden ouder maar klinken steeds jonger
Jonge politici communiceren op sociale media nauwelijks anders dan hun oudere collega's. Dat blijkt uit een kwart miljoen Facebookposts van Vlaamse politici. Eén verschil blijft: hun toon. En die toon wordt razendsnel de norm.
"Geniet ervan matekes en stay safe." Zo wenste Conner Rousseau (Vooruit, 27) in september 2020 studenten een goed academiejaar. Twee jaar later schreef zijn partijgenoot Frank Vandenbroucke (66) bij de start van het schooljaar: "Maak er een onvergetelijk jaar van." Dezelfde partij, dezelfde situatie, maar een compleet andere toon. Het lijkt het bewijs van wat veel mensen denken: jonge politici klinken anders dan hun ervaren collega's. Maar klopt dat wel?
Meer jongeren in het parlement als oplossing?
Jongeren haken af bij de politiek als ze niet meer moeten gaan stemmen. Bij de lokale verkiezingen van 2024 (de eerste zonder opkomstplicht) ging slechts de helft van de 18- tot 24-jarigen stemmen tegenover meer dan 85% van de 65-plussers. Ook in het federale parlement zijn ze schaars: slechts 11% van de parlementsleden is jonger dan 35.
De redenering lijkt logisch: stuur meer jongeren de politiek in en hun belangen komen vanzelf op tafel. Sommige landen voerden daarom zelfs jeugdquota in. Maar zijn jonge politici ook echt anders bezig dan oudere?
239.525 posts onder de loep
Max Mooring zocht het uit voor zijn masterproef politieke communicatie aan de Universiteit Antwerpen. Hij verzamelde alle Facebook posts die 347 Vlaamse parlementsleden, ministers en partijvoorzitters tussen 2010 en 2024 plaatsten. Handmatig te werk gaan was onmogelijk dus maakte bij gebruik van een Large Language Model (LLM). Per post bepaalde het model vijf kenmerken: gaat het over de toekomst? Over jongeren? Over het privéleven van de politicus? Is de toon positief? En klink het informeel?
Of de machine de posts écht begreep, controleerde Mooring door haar oordeel te vergelijken met dat van menselijke codeurs. Het model bleek minstens zo consistent als de mensen. "Jong" betekende: 35 jaar of jonger op het moment van posten.
De partij telt zwaarder dan de geboortedatum.
Het resultaat is enigzins teleurstellend. Van de vijf verwachtingen over jonge politici blijft er slechts één overeind. Ze praten niet vaker over de toekomst, niet vaker over jongeren en niet vaker over hun privéleven. Ook positiever zijn ze niet: oudere politici posten zelfs positiever (64% tegenover 53%) maar dat verschil verdwijnt zodra je rekening houdt met de partij van de politicus.
Want de partij maakt het verschil. Bij CD&V richt ruim één op de vijf posts zich tot jongeren, bij het Vlaams Belang nog geen 8%. Wie jong verkozen raakt, heeft bovendien al een traject in de partij afgelegd wat kan verklaren waarom jonge politici zo weinig afwijken van de partijcommunicatie.
Eén uitzondering: de toon
Eén verschil houdt wél stand: jonge politici communiceren informeler. Denk aan spreektaal, emoji's, humor, "je" in plaats van "u", halve zinnen enzovoort. Van hun posts is 63% informeel, tegenover 60% bij oudere politici. Dat klinkt weinig maar bij Vooruit en CD&V is het contrast opvallend: daar is 77% van de posts van jonge politici informeel tegenover 61% bij hun oudere partijgenoten. Over alle partijen heen blijft het verschil overeind na correctie voor de partij, jaartal, gender, al dan niet een kopstuk en aantal volgers. Leeftijd zie je dus niet in wat politici zeggen, wel in hoe ze het zeggen.
Iedereen klinkt jonger
Het opvallendste inzicht kwam uit een tweede analyse. Mooring volgde 28 politici die minstens tien jaar zetelden en vergeleek hun eerste met hun laatste jaar waarin zij postte. Bij 25 van hen was het aandeel informele posts gestegen doorheen hun carrière, bij 24 ook het aandeel positieve posts. Terwijl ze ouder werden, gingen ze dus jonger klinken. Bij huidig Vlaams minister president Matthias Diependaele (N-VA) steeg het aandeel informele posts tussen 2014 en 2024 van ongeveer een derde naar zeven op de tien.
Over de gehele periode gingen de posts van zowel jonge als oudere politici meer over de toekomst, meer over jongeren, meer over het privéleven en ook positiever en informeler. Het lijkt erop dat Facebook zelf de norm zet: wie opvalt en reacties wil, schrijft herkenbaar en luchtig. Informeel zijn, is dus geen jeugdkenmerk maar een gedeelde stijl, waarin jongeren iets verder gaan.
Geen wondermiddel
Samenvattend maakt dit de jongerenvertegenwoordiging niet minder belangrijk maar wel minder vanzelfsprekend. Meer jonge gezichten in het parlement lossen de afstand tussen jongeren en politiek niet vanzelf op. De vraag is niet alleen wie verkozen raakt maar ook hoeveel ruimte partijen en platformen hen laten om anders te klinken.
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