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While many young Canadians are more likely to be active in political groups, a new Statistics Canada study has found they are less likely to vote compared to older citizens — and also less likely to report that they will intend to vote in this election.
The study: Political participation and civic engagement of youth, 2013 concluded that in 2013, 47 per cent of youth aged 15 to 19 and 61 per cent of youth aged 20 to 24 indicated that they were likely to vote in the next federal election. This compared with 84 per cent of seniors aged 65 to 74 who said they plan to vote.
Conversely, 35 per cent of youth aged 20 to 24 are among the most engaged of all in political activities such as signing petitions and participating in demonstrations or marches, compared with 22 per cent of seniors aged 65 to 74.
In 2011, for the 41st federal general election, 38.8 per cent of eligible 18- to 24-year-olds voted. By contrast, the overall average was 61.1 per cent. In 2006 the national turnout for 18- to 24 year olds was 43.8 per cent, while the national turnout was 64.7 per cent.
Given the disparate numbers, the report lays blame of low overall voter turnout squarely on the youth vote. However the lower voting should not be mistaken for voter apathy.
“The relatively low turnout may be masking many other types of engagement—both political and civic,” said Martin Turcotte a senior analyst in the Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division at Statistics Canada who authored the report.
University of Ottawa political science professor Kevin Page says while it’s a “good sign” young people are civically engaged, the voter turnout has to increase “for the future our democracy”.
Page says one of the reasons students aren’t rushing to the polls is because they’ve become disenfranchised by political leaders who do not focus on political issues that resonate with them.
“So we are not dealing with issues like the environment or education,” said Page. “When we talk about issues like health care, we talk about them in a way that affects more my generation.”
When non-voters were asked why they did not vote in the last election one in six reported that it was because they were not informed on issues (17 per cent). In comparison, this reason was given by 10 per cent of non-voters aged 25 to 54 and only 3 per cent of those aged 55 and over.
“This result mirrors the lower level of interest of youth in politics, as well as their lower propensity to follow news and current affairs on a regular basis,” said Turcotte
Other reasons were they were too busy, had school-schedule conflicts or did not believe their their vote would affect the outcome.
pmccooey@ottawacitizen.com
查看原文...
The study: Political participation and civic engagement of youth, 2013 concluded that in 2013, 47 per cent of youth aged 15 to 19 and 61 per cent of youth aged 20 to 24 indicated that they were likely to vote in the next federal election. This compared with 84 per cent of seniors aged 65 to 74 who said they plan to vote.
Conversely, 35 per cent of youth aged 20 to 24 are among the most engaged of all in political activities such as signing petitions and participating in demonstrations or marches, compared with 22 per cent of seniors aged 65 to 74.
In 2011, for the 41st federal general election, 38.8 per cent of eligible 18- to 24-year-olds voted. By contrast, the overall average was 61.1 per cent. In 2006 the national turnout for 18- to 24 year olds was 43.8 per cent, while the national turnout was 64.7 per cent.
Given the disparate numbers, the report lays blame of low overall voter turnout squarely on the youth vote. However the lower voting should not be mistaken for voter apathy.
“The relatively low turnout may be masking many other types of engagement—both political and civic,” said Martin Turcotte a senior analyst in the Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division at Statistics Canada who authored the report.
University of Ottawa political science professor Kevin Page says while it’s a “good sign” young people are civically engaged, the voter turnout has to increase “for the future our democracy”.
Page says one of the reasons students aren’t rushing to the polls is because they’ve become disenfranchised by political leaders who do not focus on political issues that resonate with them.
“So we are not dealing with issues like the environment or education,” said Page. “When we talk about issues like health care, we talk about them in a way that affects more my generation.”
When non-voters were asked why they did not vote in the last election one in six reported that it was because they were not informed on issues (17 per cent). In comparison, this reason was given by 10 per cent of non-voters aged 25 to 54 and only 3 per cent of those aged 55 and over.
“This result mirrors the lower level of interest of youth in politics, as well as their lower propensity to follow news and current affairs on a regular basis,” said Turcotte
Other reasons were they were too busy, had school-schedule conflicts or did not believe their their vote would affect the outcome.
pmccooey@ottawacitizen.com
查看原文...
