The leader of the Social Democrats’ youth wing has warned that the party could shrink to around ten percent of the vote unless it formulates a new purpose for the 21st century. Ingrid Kjærgaard spoke days before the party’s annual meeting.
The 25-year-old chair of DSU, who was elected in the spring of 2026, set out her criticism in an interview with Dagbladet Information, published on September 10. She said the party is at a decisive turning point. Either it takes its voter crisis seriously, or it continues downhill.
The Social Democrats hold their annual meeting this weekend. It is the first since the municipal elections last year and the general election in March, where the party took 21.8 percent of the vote. According to Information, that is the party’s worst general election result in 123 years.
Kjærgaard points to two main causes. The first is generational. She says fewer than ten percent of her own generation vote Social Democrat, while older cohorts have propped up the totals. By her calculation, about two of the six percentage points lost between the 2022 and 2026 elections are explained by voters who have died.
She refers to a point made by Mattias Tesfaye, the party’s group chairman, at a May 1 event this spring. Older voters back a societal model rather than individual policies, she says. Younger voters instead ask what politicians think about drinking water, gasoline prices, schools and housing.
Criticism of tone and communication
The second cause is how the party presents its politics, especially online. Kjærgaard says Morten Messerschmidt of the Danish People’s Party and Alex Vanopslagh of Liberal Alliance have a strong hold on young voters. She contrasts Liberal Alliance’s 2026 slogan with the Social Democrats’ campaign message about respect for those who take responsibility.
For Kjærgaard, security, inequality and climate are the three agendas the party must fight on. She argues the party lacked a language for rising inequality during the campaign, which is why its wealth tax proposal failed. She also cites schooling gaps, saying one in three pupils in Lolland Municipality leave folkeskole without passing Danish and math, against five percent north of Copenhagen.
Information notes that anonymous Social Democrats criticized the party leadership in Børsen a few weeks ago for a lack of self-reflection. Kjærgaard also says the SVM government has hurt the party’s support, and that this is now widely recognized internally. She adds that violence in nightlife worries many young people.
Information presented the criticism to the Social Democrats. The party’s political spokesperson, Rasmus Stoklund, replied in writing that the party takes it seriously when Danes, including young people, actively reject it. He does not accept that the party lacks direction, and pointed to the new EPX youth education, investment in folkeskole and an improved Arne pension.
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On the environment, Stoklund said the government prioritizes the green transition more highly than any other country. He also listed plans to lower VAT on food, remove VAT entirely on fruit and vegetables, and make dental care free.
