Young Canadians less hopeful about democracy: Statistics Canada study

A study suggests young Canadians are more likely to feel hopeless about democracy than older residents.

The Statistics Canada study found about a quarter of respondents aged 25 to 44 were "not at all hopeful" about how democracy works in Canada, while those 65 and older were more likely to feel very hopeful than not.

The vast majority of those 15 and older were a little or somewhat hopeful about the way democracy works in the country.

The study used data from a survey series from 2022 to 2024 that asked people about democracy, their confidence in institutions and information, as well as their voting behaviour.

It comes as three major votes are set to be held in Canada in October, with provincial elections in Quebec and British Columbia and a referendum in Alberta.

The Prairie provinces, including Alberta, had the highest percentage of people who felt no hope at all about democracy, while British Columbia led in the percentage of people who felt very hopeful.

The study didn't find a link between faith in democracy and voter turnout.

Dayne Patterson, The Canadian Press