How big is a generational difference: young vs old

[Jaga]

Thanks to the fall of communism there is a bigger generational difference in Poland than in some other countries. The young generation of Poles do not really remember communism, but the 40+ lived under communism for at least a half of their lives.

So, the election results and the choice between the Citizens Platform (PO) and the Law and JusticePIS) are quite splitted between the age of the voters - the elderly voters, especially from villages and small towns are more conservative, more traditional and they voted for PIS, the younger for liberal PO.

[Jaga]

here is more about it:

Generational divides are nothing new, but in Poland they can be acute. Young voters barely remember the Communist era and are far better prepared to embrace free-market ideology and the challenge of competition within the European Union. The elderly tend to prefer the protection of an interventionist government like the one administered by the Law and Justice Party.

The young have voted with their feet by migrating in large numbers to Western Europe. Older people have stayed put and voted — helping to give power to the Kaczynskis, who have often taken a confrontational approach toward the rest of Europe.

In the last election, in 2005, Law and Justice benefited from low voter turnout, needing only 3.2 million votes in a country of 38 million to take control of the Sejm, the crucial lower house of Parliament, as a minority government or in a coalition with several smaller parties. The most recent coalition fell apart during a contentious, scandal-filled summer, leading to early elections this weekend.

Opponents of the current government are counting on a strong turnout by younger voters this time.

www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/world/europe/21poland.html?ei=5087&em=&en=196316e2869574cf&ex=1193198400&pagewanted=print