A recent survey by ACEL, the Association of Luxembourg Student Unions, has revealed that a large proportion of young people in Luxembourg feel inadequately informed about the country’s pension system.
On a scale from 0 to 10 – where 0 means "not informed at all" and 10 means "perfectly informed" – the average response was 4.8. Notably, 69% of respondents rated their knowledge at 5 or below, highlighting a widespread lack of understanding.
Earlier this year, a general survey by QUEST had also shown that 52% of the respondents felt uninformed about the pension system.
ACEL argues that this lack of awareness makes it difficult for young people to meaningfully participate in debates on pension reform, despite being the generation most affected by future changes.
Despite this, a strong majority expressed interest in learning more about the pension system, suggesting that the issue is not a lack of concern but rather a shortage of clear and accessible information.
ACEL believes that to enable young people to engage meaningfully in the pension reform debate, the system should be explained more effectively – whether through school curricula or extracurricular initiatives.
Recognition of study years
A major point of discussion was whether years spent in education should count towards pension entitlements. The majority of students supported this, arguing that making studies more attractive requires recognising them within the pension system. Many also criticised the age limit of 27 for this recognition, suggesting greater flexibility.
When asked whether people will need to work longer in the future, a majority opposed the idea, calling it unfair for younger generations to bear the burden of pension reform while current retirees benefit from a better-funded system. However, nearly a third (29%) of respondents acknowledged that demographic changes might make a higher retirement age necessary.
Many participants advocated for a more adaptable pension system, allowing individuals to retire earlier or later based on their profession and personal circumstances. Several respondents stressed that physically demanding jobs should not be treated the same as less strenuous ones.
Concerns over fairness were a recurring theme, with criticism of the disparities between private and public sector pensions. Many participants also worried that the current system is unsustainable in the long term and called for alternative funding models, such as a more balanced distribution of pension contributions across different income sources.
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