What the French election reveals about young Euroskeptics

Are the oldies saving French President Emmanuel Macron?

In stark contrast to Euroskeptic older voters pushing for Brexit in the U.K., it is the more elderly contingent in France who seem to have rallied behind the liberal pro-EU incumbent, while many younger voters backed radical left-winger Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Marine Le Pen on the far right.

The fact that Le Pen has, in the past, openly campaigned for the idea of France leaving the European Union and Mélenchon never hid his Euroskeptic leanings begs the question whether France’s youth has lost trust in the European project. A closer look at the age group breakdown of the first-round results, however, reveals a more nuanced picture.

Here are eight charts that help explain voting behavior in the first round of the French presidential election on Sunday by age groups and what it means for the runoff election on April 24.