After the 2015 election, Elections Canada conducted the National Youth Survey as part of their ongoing efforts to understand how the barriers to voting are evolving.

The majority of youth at least somewhat agreed that voting was easy and convenient (84%), although they were less likely than older adults to strongly agree.

Interest in the last federal election was high overall: 86% of youth and 93% of older adults said they were very or somewhat interested. Interest in Canadian politics in general was not as keen: 19% of youth said they were not very or not all interested, compared to 7% of older adults.

Although most youth (84%) and older adults (88%) thought that at least one political party talks about issues that are important to them, youth felt less strongly that, by voting, they could make a difference (74% vs. 86%).

This survey also showed that youth are split on whether voting is a duty or a choice. Overall, 47% consider it a choice, while 49% believe it is a duty. In contrast, older adults are much more likely to view voting as a duty (64%) rather than a choice (36%). Meanwhile, unemployed youth are more likely than other target audiences to consider voting a choice (60%).

Access more information in the National Youth Survey Report on the Elections Canada website.

How do you think mandatory voting would affect youth attitudes towards voting?