Site MenuStudent Parallel Election Program (Student Vote) Evaluation
Section 4 Findings
4.1 Student Outcomes
4.1.1 Student Knowledge
After Student Vote was completed, both elementary and secondary students displayed increased knowledge – both objectively measured and self-reported – about politics and elections. The increased knowledge demonstrated by students was consistent even after controlling for possible confounding variables. The regressions additionally showed that student age had a positive impact on secondary student knowledge and that the Democracy Bootcamps had increased elementary student knowledge. However, the regressions also indicated, counterintuitively, that prior teacher/school participation in Student Vote was associated with lower self-reported knowledge for secondary students and that Democracy Bootcamp participation was associated with lower secondary student objective knowledge scores. The reasons for these counterintuitive findings are not clear and would require additional analyses not possible with the existing data.
Parents and teachers reported that Student Vote had had a positive impact on students' knowledge. Parents also reported that participation in Student Vote had improved their child(ren)'s critical thinking. This perception was echoed by teachers and student focus group participants, who noted that the Student Vote activities encouraged critical thinking and helped students to make better voting decisions.
Knowledge Questions
Participating in Student Vote increased the objectively measured knowledge that elementary students had about politics. The proportion of elementary students who answered all three knowledge-based questions correctly more than doubled after learning about them during the election. The pre-/post-program difference was maintained after regression was used to control for possible confounding variables. Additionally, the regression demonstrated that older elementary students had higher knowledge scores.
Figure 4-1: Elementary Student Knowledge Scores
Text description of graph "Figure 4-1: Elementary Student Knowledge Scores"
Question 1: What is the leader of the federal government called?
Question 2: What party currently forms the government in Canada's House of Commons?
Question 3: How old do you need to be to vote in Canadian federal elections?
Student Vote also increased objectively measured knowledge of politics among secondary students. The proportion of secondary students who answered two or three of the knowledge-based questions correctly was greater in the post-program group than in the pre-program group. This increase in knowledge scores was maintained in the regression. Additionally, the regression indicated that older secondary students and students whose teacher/school had not participated in a Democracy Bootcamp had higher knowledge scores.
Figure 4-2: Secondary Student Knowledge Scores
Text description of graph "Figure 4-2: Secondary Student Knowledge Scores"
Question 1: What is the title of your elected representative at the federal level?
Question 2: What level of government is mainly responsible for education?
Question 3 (pre-program participant): Which party currently forms the government in Canada's House of Commons?
Question 4 (post-program participant): What party won the most seats in the House of Commons in the 2015 federal election on October 19?
Self-reported Knowledge
Student Vote's impact on elementary students' self-reported knowledge was similar to the knowledge test. The proportion of students who stated that they knew a lot about politics more than doubled after the completion of the program. Students were also more likely to state that they knew quite a bit about politics at the completion of the program. This impact remained significant in the regression model. Teacher/school participation in Democracy Bootcamp had an additional positive impact on student self-reported knowledge: students whose teacher/school had participated in a Democracy Bootcamp rated their knowledge of politics higher than students whose teacher/school had not participated.
Figure 4-3: Elementary Student Self-reported Knowledge of Politics
Text description of graph "Figure 4-3: Elementary Student Self-reported Knowledge of Politics"
Question: How much do you understand about politics?
While there were no pre-/post-program differences in the proportion of secondary students who stated that they understood a lot about politics, students were significantly more likely to report knowing quite a bit about politics at the conclusion of the program. This finding was supported in the regression, which found that when other confounding variables were controlled for, students self-reported higher levels of knowledge after the election. Conversely, the previous participation of a student's teacher/school in Student Vote was associated with lower levels of self-reported knowledge.
Figure 4-4: Secondary Student Self-reported Knowledge of Politics
Text description of graph "Figure 4-4: Secondary Student Self-reported Knowledge of Politics"
Question: How much do you understand about politics?
Parents of students who had participated in Student Vote tended to feel that the program had impacted their child(ren)'s knowledge of the electoral process. Almost all parents (97%) reported that Student Vote had had somewhat of an impact, or a significant impact, on their child(ren)'s knowledge.
Teachers also felt that Student Vote had had a significant impact on student knowledge about the electoral process. Over three-quarters (82%) of teachers reported that Student Vote had had a significant impact, and a further 18% stated that it had had somewhat of an impact. Less than 1% of post-program teachers reported that Student Vote had had no impact on student knowledge.
Figure 4-5: Increased Child's Knowledge about Canada's Electoral Process (Parent Survey)
Question (post-program participant): Student Vote increased my child's knowledge about Canada's electoral process.
Interviews with both parents and participating teachers indicated that students had learned more about politics and elections as a result of participating in Student Vote. Parents and teachers both reported that their child(ren)/students had shown increased knowledge of government, politics and elections. Parents reported that their child(ren) would talk about what they had learned at school, sharing the information with them. Teachers noted that students talked about the material at a deep level – e.g. making connections between the federal election and the previous provincial elections. Teachers also reported that student testing showed a good understanding of the election process. It was further noted by the teachers that while the textbook described the process, Student Vote made it real. Teachers reported that by the end of Student Vote, students felt ready to vote in the election.
Critical Thinking
Teachers and stakeholders both indicated that the Student Vote material was designed to encourage critical-thinking skills among students, and feedback from teachers indicated that the materials were being used appropriately to develop student critical-thinking skills. Student focus groups held at participating schools reinforced this finding, with students indicating that they had learned how to make informed voting decisions by researching party platforms and candidates. These changes were observed by parents, who indicated that Student Vote had had a significant impact on improving their child(ren)'s critical-thinking skills.
Almost all parents (92%) reported that Student Vote had had somewhat of an impact, or a significant impact, on their child(ren)'s critical-thinking skills.
Figure 4-6: Improved Child's Critical-Thinking Skills around Politics (Parent Survey)
Question (post-program participant): Student Vote improved my child's critical-thinking and decision-making skills around politics and elections.
Teachers interviewed noted that the Student Vote activities and assignments used in class were designed to promote critical thinking among students. The teachers stated that their students were required to research parties and compare positions. Students were encouraged to learn what their values were and how these values aligned with the positions and policies of different candidates. Finally, students were taught how to use this information to decide whom they would vote for.
Student focus groups also highlighted improved critical-thinking skills. Students reported that they had learned how to research platforms and match them to their own personal beliefs. As such, they stated that Student Vote had helped them to make informed decisions.
External and internal stakeholders reported that the Student Vote materials and activities developed by CIVIX encouraged critical thinking among students. However, stakeholders noted that while the materials were designed to exercise and develop critical thinking, they needed to be delivered appropriately by teachers. The interviews with the participating teachers demonstrated that the materials were being used appropriately.
4.1.2 Student Interest
Among both elementary and secondary students, participating in Student Vote increased the proportion of students who were somewhat interested in politics, although not the proportion who were very interested. Additionally, after participating in Student Vote, fewer students responded that they were not at all interested in politics. After controlling for possible confounding variables, Student Vote maintained its impact on secondary students.
As with the impact of Student Vote on knowledge, parents and teachers were clear about the positive impact that they felt the program had had. The majority of parents and teachers reported that Student Vote had positively impacted their child(ren)'s interest in government and politics.
While there were no pre-/post-program differences in the proportion of students who stated that they were very interested in politics, more elementary students indicated that they were somewhat interested in politics after Student Vote was concluded. Additionally, after the election, significantly fewer elementary students stated that they were not very, or not at all, interested in politics than before the election. However, the differences in elementary student interest level did not maintain their significance in the regression. In fact, the overall regression equation was not significant.
Figure 4-7: Elementary Student Self-reported Interest in Politics
Text description of graph "Figure 4-7: Elementary Student Self-reported Interest in Politics"
Question: How interested are you in politics?
Like elementary students, there were no pre-/post-program differences in the proportion of secondary students who stated that they were very interested in politics. However, significantly more secondary students stated that they were somewhat interested in politics after the Student Vote program ended. Additionally, after Student Vote ended, fewer students reported being not at all interested in politics. Student Vote maintained its significant impact in the regression: secondary students reported being more interested in politics after they had completed Student Vote.
Figure 4-8: Secondary Student Self-reported Interest in Politics
Text description of graph "Figure 4-8: Secondary Student Self-reported Interest in Politics"
Question: How interested are you in politics?
Parents' views of the program's impact on student interest were much more clear cut. The vast majority of parents (91%) reported that Student Vote had had somewhat of an impact, or a significant impact, on their child(ren)'s interest in government and politics. Interviewed parents repeated this finding, stating that they had observed an increased interest in politics among their children. When the interviewed parents reported that there was no increase in interest, it was qualified by noting that their children had already had a high level of interest in politics before starting Student Vote.
Teachers agreed with parents on the perceived impact that Student Vote had had on student interest: 66% of teachers felt that Student Vote had had a significant impact, and 32% felt it had had somewhat of an impact. Only 1% of post-program teachers thought that Student Vote had had no impact on student interest. Further, interviewed teachers gave student interest in learning about the election a rating of 4.6 out of 5.
Figure 4-9: Increased Child's Interest in Government and Politics (Parent Survey)
Question (post-program participant): Student Vote increased my child's interest in government and politics.
4.1.3 Student Discussions of Politics
After Student Vote was over, both elementary and secondary students were less likely to report that they never talked to their friends and family about politics. Additionally, over half of all students reported talking to their friends and family about the election at least once a month. However, with the exception of the frequency with which secondary students talked to their friends about politics, the effect of Student Vote was not maintained when regressions controlled for other variables. In several cases, teacher participation in a Democracy Bootcamp did have a significant impact on outcomes. Elementary students whose teacher/school had participated in a Democracy Bootcamp talked to their friends and family more often about politics and talked to their friends more often about the election. Secondary students whose teacher/school had participated in a Democracy Bootcamp were also more likely to talk to their friends about the election and to talk to their family about politics.
Parents and teachers had clearer perceptions of the impact of Student Vote on student discussions of politics. The majority of parents indicated that Student Vote had motivated their child(ren) to discuss politics more often. Similarly, interviewed teachers recalled instances of students discussing the election outside the classroom or bringing parental opinions into classroom discussions.
Friends
There were no pre-/post-program differences in the proportion of elementary students who reported talking to their friends daily or weekly about politics. However, after Student Vote ended, fewer students reported saying that they never talked about politics with their friends. The impact of Student Vote on student discussions of politics with their friends, though, was not maintained in the regression. However, teacher/school participation in a Democracy Bootcamp did have a positive impact on elementary students, with students whose teacher/school had participated in a Democracy Bootcamp talking more often to their friends about politics.
Figure 4-10: Talking to Friends about Politics – Elementary Students
Text description of graph "Figure 4-10: Talking to Friends about Politics – Elementary Students"
Question: How often do you talk to your friends about politics?
Like elementary students, after Student Vote finished, secondary students were less likely to state that they never talked to their friends about politics. The impact of Student Vote maintained its significance in the regression. Conversely, students whose teacher/school had previously participated in Student Vote reported talking less often to their friends about politics than students whose teacher/school were doing Student Vote for the first time. Finally, older students reported talking more often to their friends about politics.
Figure 4-11: Talking to Friends about Politics – Secondary Students
Text description of graph "Figure 4-11: Talking to Friends about Politics – Secondary Students"
Question: How often do you talk to your friends about politics?
Over half of the elementary students (56%) reported talking to their friends about the election at least monthly, with a quarter (25%) stating that they never talked about the election with their friends. The regression demonstrated that teacher/school participation in Democracy Bootcamp had had a positive impact on elementary student discussions of the election with friends: students whose teacher/school had participated in a Democracy Bootcamp reported talking with their friends more often about the election.
Figure 4-12: Talking to Friends about the Election – Elementary Students
Text description of graph "Figure 4-12: Talking to Friends about the Election – Elementary Students"
Question: How often did you discuss the federal election with your friends?
Three-quarters of secondary students (75%) indicated that they talked with their friends about the election at least monthly. The regression showed that Democracy Bootcamp had a positive impact on secondary students as well. Students whose teacher/school had participated in a Democracy Bootcamp reported talking with their friends more often about the election.
Figure 4-13: Talking to Friends about the Election – Secondary Students
Text description of graph "Figure 4-13: Talking to Friends about the Election – Secondary Students"
Question: How often did you discuss the federal election with your friends?
Family
Like talking with friends, elementary students were significantly less likely to report that they never talked with their family about politics after Student Vote ended. The impact of Student Vote was not maintained in the regression, though. However, Democracy Bootcamp participation did have a positive impact. Students whose teacher/school had participated in a Democracy Bootcamp reported talking with their family more often about politics than students whose teacher/school had not participated.
Figure 4-14: Talking to Family about Politics – Elementary Students
Text description of graph "Figure 4-14: Talking to Family about Politics – Elementary Students"
Question: How often do you talk to your family about politics?
Secondary students were less likely to report never talking to their family about politics after Student Vote ended. Although this finding was not maintained in the regression, and the overall regression model was not significant, teacher/school participation in Democracy Bootcamp did have a significant effect in the regression: secondary students whose teacher/school had participated in a Democracy Bootcamp reported talking more often about politics with their family.
Figure 4-15: Talking to Family about Politics – Secondary Students
Text description of graph "Figure 4-15: Talking to Family about Politics – Secondary Students"
Question: How often do you talk to your family about politics?
Over two-thirds of elementary students (68%) reported talking to their family about the election at least once a month. The final regression model for this outcome was not significant.
Figure 4-16: Talking to Family about the Election – Elementary Students
Text description of graph "Figure 4-16: Talking to Family about the Election – Elementary Students"
Question: How often did you discuss the federal election with your family?
Over half of secondary students (59%) reported talking to their family about the election at least once a month. The final overall regression model for this outcome was not significant.
Figure 4-17: Talking to Family about the Election – Secondary Students
Text description of graph "Figure 4-17: Talking to Family about the Election – Secondary Students"
Question: How often did you discuss the federal election with your family?
The majority of parents (95%) felt that Student Vote had had somewhat of an impact, or a significant impact, on motivating their child(ren) to discuss politics with family and friends. Interviewed parents also reported discussions with their child(ren) about politics during the election. The interviewed parents noted that their child(ren) had talked about social justice issues, the news and their opinions of the party leaders. Parents did not uniformly agree about whether their child(ren) had talked with friends about the election; equal numbers said yes, it was happening; no, it was not happening; or were not sure.
Teachers felt similarly. Just under two-thirds (65%) of teachers reported that Student Vote had had a significant impact on motivating students to talk about politics with their family and friends. Teachers reported that they were aware of students talking about the election outside the classroom. Also, parents informed teachers of discussions they were having with their child(ren) about the election, and on some occasions, students would bring parental comments and opinions into classroom discussions.
Figure 4-18: Motivated Child to Discuss Politics with Family and Friends (Parent Survey)
Question (post-program participant): Student Vote motivated my child to discuss politics with family and friends.
4.1.4 Student Confidence
If we define students' confidence as their comfort level in telling others their political opinions, Student Vote had a strong, positive impact on students. After Student Vote was over, both elementary and secondary students were more likely to report being very comfortable talking to friends and family about politics. For elementary students, the impact of Student Vote maintained significance in the regression. Additionally, older elementary students were more likely to report being comfortable talking to friends and family about politics. For secondary students, though, Student Vote maintained its significance only when talking to friends. This finding could possibly be explained by the responses of those interviewed parents who noted that their child(ren) felt comfortable talking to them about anything, Student Vote or not.
Student Vote had a strong impact on improving elementary student confidence in talking about politics with friends. After Student Vote ended, elementary students were more likely to report being very comfortable and somewhat comfortable talking about politics with friends. Student Vote's impact maintained its significance in the regression. Additionally, older students and students whose teacher/school had previously participated in Student Vote reported being more comfortable talking with their friends about politics.
Figure 4-19: Comfortable Talking about Politics with Friends – Elementary Students
Question: How comfortable are you telling your friends what you think about politics?
Secondary students were more likely to report being very comfortable talking to their friends after Student Vote ended. This finding maintained its significance in the regression.
Figure 4-20: Comfortable Talking about Politics with Friends – Secondary Students
Question: How comfortable are you telling your friends what you think about politics?
Elementary students were more likely to report being very comfortable talking to parents about politics, and less likely to report being not at all comfortable talking to parents about politics, after Student Vote ended. The impact of Student Vote was still significant in the regression. Additionally, older elementary students and students whose teacher/school had previously participated in Student Vote reported being more comfortable talking to their parents about politics.
Figure 4-21: Comfortable Talking about Politics with Family – Elementary Students
Question: How comfortable are you telling your family what you think about politics?
Secondary students were more likely to report being very comfortable talking to family about politics after Student Vote ended. However, this impact was not maintained in the regression. In fact, the final regression model itself was not significant, suggesting that none of the variables in the equation had a strong association with the outcome.
Figure 4-22: Comfortable Talking about Politics with Family – Secondary Students
Question: How comfortable are you telling your family what you think about politics?
Interviewed parents reported that their child(ren) seemed comfortable talking about politics with them, although only half noted that this comfort had increased during the election. Most parents reported that their child(ren) already felt very comfortable talking to them about anything. Thus, the election was just one more topic that their child(ren) could discuss with them.
4.1.5 Student Voting Intentions
Student Vote increased student interest in voting in the 2015 federal election. However, while the impact of Student Vote stayed significant in the regression for elementary students, it did not maintain its significance for secondary students. Instead, the regression indicated that secondary students who were born in Canada, who had previously participated in the Student Vote program or whose teacher/school had previously participated in Student Vote were more interested in voting in the 2015 federal election. However, Democracy Bootcamps had a relatively consistent and robustly positive impact on student voting intentions. Elementary students whose teacher/school had participated in a Democracy Bootcamp reported being more interested in voting in the 2015 federal election and more likely to vote in future elections. Additionally, secondary students who had previously participated in Student Vote, or whose teacher/school had participated in a Democracy Bootcamp, reported being more likely to vote in future elections. Students generally stated that they would have voted in the election because it was their responsibility as citizens or because they wanted to choose the best representative.
Interviewed parents and teachers tended to report that Student Vote had increased their child(ren)'s/students' intentions to vote in the future. Both felt that the Student Vote material and/or activities had helped to teach the importance of voting. However, some parents and teachers noted that it was too early to determine the impact of Student Vote and that there were other factors that could influence voting behaviour.
At the conclusion of Student Vote, elementary students were significantly more likely to state that they would have voted in the 2015 federal election if they had been eligible. The impact of Student Vote on interest in voting in the recent federal election was maintained in the regression. Additionally, students whose teacher/school had participated in a Democracy Bootcamp were also more likely to state that they would have voted in the recent federal election. Finally, older elementary students were more likely to state that they would have voted in the federal election.
Figure 4-23: Student Interest in Voting in the Current Election – Elementary Students
Question (pre-program participant): If there were an election tomorrow and you were old enough to vote, would you vote?
Question (post-program participant): If you had been old enough to vote in the federal election on October 19, would you have voted?
Secondary students were more likely to indicate an interest in voting in the 2015 federal election after Student Vote ended. However, the impact of Student Vote on secondary student voting interest was not maintained in the regression. Instead, the regression found that secondary students who were born in Canada, who had previously participated in Student Vote or whose teacher/school had participated in a Democracy Bootcamp were more likely to be interested in voting in the 2015 federal election.
Figure 4-24: Student Interest in Voting in the Current Election – Secondary Students
Question (pre-program participant): If there were an election tomorrow and you were old enough to vote, would you vote?
Question (post-program participant): If you had been old enough to vote in the federal election on October 19, would you have voted?
When asked why they would have voted in the 2015 federal election, both elementary and secondary students were more likely to state, after completing Student Vote, that it was their responsibility as Canadian citizens. Additionally, before completing Student Vote, elementary students were more likely to report that they would have voted to choose the best person to represent them and their community.
| Reason | Pre-program (n=762/881) |
Post-program (n=761/757) |
|---|---|---|
| I believe it is my responsibility as a Canadian citizen | 27%/26% | 39%/33% |
| Voting is a way to affect how issues will be decided | 12%/13% | 9%/13% |
| Most of my family who are old enough to vote, do vote | 4%/2% | 3%/3% |
| I want to choose the best person to represent me and my community | 33%/26% | 26%/23% |
| It is my way to have a voice in the future of the country | 12%/21% | 11%/20% |
| If I don't vote, I can't complain | 5%/7% | 6%/6% |
| Other | 0%/0% | 0%/0% |
| Selected multiple responses | 0%/1% | 1%/0% |
| Don't know | 5%/3% | 4%/1% |
When asked why they would not have voted in the 2015 federal election, elementary students who had finished Student Vote were more likely to say that it was because they were not interested in politics. In contrast, before completing Student Vote, more elementary students had reported not wanting to vote because they did not know enough about the issues. Among secondary students, the only difference in reasons for not voting was that students who had completed Student Vote were more likely to say that they would not vote because they did not know how to vote.
| Reason | Pre-program (n=161/145) |
Post-program (n=64/80) |
|---|---|---|
| I don't know how to vote | 19%/1% | 14%/5% |
| I am not interested in politics | 35%/39% | 53%/36% |
| There is no difference between parties | 3%/2% | 2%/5% |
| I don't know enough about the issues to make a decision | 21%/36% | 8%/30% |
| My one vote is not going to make a difference | 4%/7% | 3%/9% |
| Other (non-specified) | 5%/2% | 5%/0% |
| Other: There is no point | 1%/4% | 0%/5% |
| Other: Not old enough | 1%/1% | 0%/1% |
| Other: Religious reasons | 0%/1% | 0%/3% |
| Don't know/ not sure | 12%/6% | 16%/6% |
The majority of elementary students indicated that they planned to vote when they turned 18. The regression equation showed that Democracy Bootcamp had had a positive impact on student intentions to vote. Elementary students whose teacher/school had participated in a Democracy Bootcamp were significantly more likely to report intending to vote in the future.
Figure 4-25: Student Intentions to Vote in Future Elections – Elementary Students
Question: Will you vote in elections when you turn 18?
Like elementary students, the majority of secondary students reported that they planned to vote when they were 18. Students who had participated in a previous Student Vote program were more likely to express an interest in voting when they turned 18. Additionally, Democracy Bootcamp had the same positive impact on secondary students' voting intentions. Students whose teacher/school had participated in a Democracy Bootcamp were more likely to report planning to vote in the future.
Figure 4-26: Student Intentions to Vote in Future Elections – Secondary Students
Question: Will you vote in elections when you turn 18?
When interviewed teachers and parents were asked about the future intentions of their students/child(ren) to vote, the majority reported that their students/child(ren) would vote. Both parents and teachers credited the Student Vote activities with increased voting intentions among students. It was felt that the activities had taught students about the importance of voting. Teachers, specifically, noted several comments from their students indicating their desire to vote (e.g. students expressed annoyance that they could not vote in the 2015 federal election). At the same time, though, a sizeable minority of interviewees expressed some reservations about the impact of Student Vote on future voting intentions. They noted that it was too soon to determine future voting behaviour and that other factors played an important role in determining voting behaviour – e.g. family history and election issues.
4.1.6 Student Perceptions of Voting and Elections
Elementary students were more likely to totally agree that voting was a civic responsibility after they had completed Student Vote.
Figure 4-27: Voting Responsibility – Elementary Students
Text description of graph "Figure 4-27: Voting Responsibility – Elementary Students"
Question: It is our responsibility as citizens to vote in elections.
Before completing Student Vote, elementary students were more likely to state that they did not know in response to the question about whether there were issues that affected their community or country that they cared about.
Figure 4-28: Concern with Issues – Elementary Students
Text description of graph "Figure 4-28: Concern with Issues – Elementary Students"
Question: There are issues affecting my community or country that I care about.
Elementary students who had completed Student Vote were more likely to totally agree and somewhat agree that politicians spoke about issues that were important to them.
Figure 4-29: Politicians Speak about Important Issues – Elementary Students
Question: Some politicians talk about issues that are important to me.
Like elementary students, secondary students who had completed Student Vote were more likely to totally agree that it was a citizen's responsibility to vote in elections.
Figure 4-30: Voting Responsibilty – Secondary Students
Text description of graph "Figure 4-30: Voting Responsibilty – Secondary Students"
Question: It is our responsibility as citizens to vote in elections.
There were no pre-/post-program differences among secondary students and their perceptions of important issues.
Figure 4-31: Concern with Issues – Secondary Students
Text description of graph "Figure 4-31: Concern with Issues – Secondary Students"
Question: There are issues affecting my community or country that I care about.
Secondary students who had completed Student Vote were more likely to totally agree that politicians spoke about important issues. Conversely, students who had not completed Student Vote were more likely to totally disagree with this statement.
Figure 4-32: Politicians Speak about Important Issues – Secondary Students
Question: Some politicians talk about issues that are important to me.
The majority of parents (89%) reported that Student Vote had had a significant impact, or somewhat of an impact, on their child(ren)'s sense of civic duty and responsibility. Teachers echoed this perception as 65% of teachers felt that Student Vote had had a significant impact, and 33% felt that Student Vote had had somewhat of an impact, on students' sense of civic duty.
Figure 4-33: Child's Increased Sense of Civic Duty and Responsibility (Parent Survey)
Question (post-program participant): Student Vote increased my child's sense of civic duty and responsibility.
The vast majority of parents (93%) reported that Student Vote had had a significant impact, or somewhat of an impact, on their child(ren)'s intentions to vote in future elections. Teachers also felt that Student Vote had impacted students' intentions to vote in future elections: 71% of teachers reported that Student Vote had had a significant impact, and 26% felt that Student Vote had had somewhat of an impact, on students' intentions to vote in the future.
Figure 4-34: Increased Child's Intentions to Vote in Future Elections (Parent Survey)
Question (post-program participant): Student Vote increased my child's intention to vote in future elections.
4.2 Teacher Outcomes
Student Vote had a limited impact on teacher outcomes. There were no pre-/post-program differences in teachers' knowledge of, or interest in, politics. The regression indicated that experience teaching civics had a greater impact on these outcomes. Also, teachers, both before and after completing Student Vote, were equally likely to agree that voting was a civic responsibility. This was supported by the finding that almost all teachers planned to vote in the 2015 federal election, and almost all teachers reported actually voting in the election. Such results may be indicative of a selection bias, meaning that teachers who chose to participate in Student Vote may have done so because they already had high levels of knowledge of, interest in and belief in voting as a civic responsibility. However, although the majority of teachers reported being confident in teaching civics, the majority of teachers also reported that participating in Student Vote had increased their confidence in teaching civics. Additionally, participating in Student Vote improved teacher perceptions that there were issues they cared about and that politicians spoke about important issues.
4.2.1 Teacher Knowledge
There were no pre-/post-program differences in teachers' self-reported knowledge of politics. Instead, the regression showed that teaching experience of civics-related courses had a significant impact on teacher knowledge ratings. In particular, teachers with five or fewer years of teaching experience ranked their knowledge of politics lower than teachers with eight or more years of experience.
Figure 4-35: Teacher Self-reported Knowledge of Politics
Text description of graph "Figure 4-35: Teacher Self-reported Knowledge of Politics"
Question: How informed are you about politics?
4.2.2 Teacher Interest
There were no pre-/post-program differences in teachers' self-reported interest in politics. Instead, the regression showed that prior participation in Student Vote was associated with higher levels of interest in politics. Additionally, like knowledge scores, the regression found that experience teaching civics-related courses better predicted interest in politics. Teachers with five or fewer years of experience were significantly less interested in politics than teachers with eight or more years of experience. Teachers interviewed reinforced this finding as almost all of them reported being very interested in politics, and several of them stated that they had taken political science courses at the post-secondary level.
Figure 4-36: Teacher Self-reported Interest in Politics
Text description of graph "Figure 4-36: Teacher Self-reported Interest in Politics"
Question: How interested are you in politics?
4.2.3 Teacher Confidence
Nearly half of the teachers stated that they felt very confident teaching politics before completing Student Vote, with less than 10% stating that they were not very confident.
Figure 4-37: Pre-program Teacher Confidence in Teaching Politics, Government and Civics
Question: How confident are you about teaching issues related to politics, Canadian government and civics?
After Student Vote was completed, the vast majority of post-program teachers (96%) indicated that they either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that participating in Student Vote had improved their confidence in teaching politics, Canadian government and civics. Teachers who had attended a Democracy Bootcamp (77%) were more likely to strongly agree that Student Vote had increased their confidence in teaching politics than teachers who could not attend a Bootcamp (64%).
Figure 4-38: Post-program Teacher Confidence in Teaching Politics, Government and Civics
Question: Your involvement in the Student Vote program has increased your confidence in teaching issues related to politics, Canadian government and civics.
All the interviewed teachers reported that they felt confident teaching government and social studies, with approximately one-third stating that they felt very confident. However, the majority of teachers interviewed (82%) had been teaching for more than 10 years, and over two-thirds (70%) had taught social studies and government for at least six years. It was suggested that Student Vote was a good method to build the confidence of teachers who were new to the subject.
4.2.4 Teacher Perceptions of Voting and Elections
There were no differences in teacher perceptions about voting responsibility. However, results were already very high in the pre-program survey.
Figure 4-39: Voting Responsibility – Teacher Survey
Text description of graph "Figure 4-39: Voting Responsibility – Teacher Survey"
Question: It is our responsibility as citizens to vote in elections.
Teachers who had completed Student Vote were more likely to report that they strongly agreed that there were issues that affected their community and country that they cared about.
Figure 4-40: Concern with Issues – Teacher Survey
Text description of graph "Figure 4-40: Concern with Issues – Teacher Survey"
Question: There are issues affecting my community or country that I care about.
Teachers who had completed Student Vote were more likely to report that there was at least one party that spoke about issues that were important to them.
Figure 4-41: Politicians Speak about Important Issues – Teacher Survey
Text description of graph "Figure 4-41: Politicians Speak about Important Issues – Teacher Survey"
Question: There is at least one political party that talks about issues that are important to me.
Before the completion of Student Vote, the majority of teachers (89%) reported voting in most or all elections in which they were eligible to vote. Additionally, the majority of teachers (98%) indicated that they planned to vote in the 2015 federal election.
Figure 4-42: Past Voting Behaviour – Pre-program Teachers
Text description of graph "Figure 4-42: Past Voting Behaviour – Pre-program Teachers"
Question: Thinking about all the elections since you have been eligible to vote, would you say you have voted in none of them or all of them?
Nearly all the teachers reported actually voting in the 2015 federal election.
Figure 4-43: Teacher Voting Behaviour
Text description of graph "Figure 4-43: Teacher Voting Behaviour"
Question: Were you able to vote in the recent federal election?
The most common reason teachers gave for voting in the 2015 federal election was that it was their responsibility as a Canadian citizen. The most common reason that teachers provided for why they had not voted was that they were not a Canadian citizen and therefore not eligible to vote.
| Reason | Post-program (n=1,418) |
|---|---|
| I believe it is my responsibility as a Canadian citizen | 54% |
| It is my way to have a voice in the future of the country | 20% |
| Voting is a way to affect how issues will be decided | 10% |
| I want to choose the best person to represent me and my community | 9% |
| If I don't vote, I can't complain | 2% |
| To set an example | 2% |
| Most of my friends/family who are old enough to vote, do vote | 0% |
| Other | 2% |
| Don't know | 0% |
| Reason | Post-program (n=17) |
|---|---|
| I am not a Canadian citizen | 35% |
| I don't know enough about the issues to make a decision | 6% |
| I am not interested in politics | 0% |
| There is no difference between parties | 0% |
| I don't have time | 0% |
| My one vote is not going to make a difference | 0% |
| I don't know how to vote | 0% |
| Other (non-specified) | 53% |
| Don't know/not sure | 6% |
The high rate of voting was also reported in the interviews with teachers. All the interviewed teachers reported that they always voted in federal elections. When asked about the impact of Student Vote on their voting behaviour, most teachers reported that it could not influence their voting behaviour as they always voted. A few teachers interpreted the question more broadly, with one stating that Student Vote helped to make a better choice.
4.3 Parent Outcomes
Although the majority of parents reported being at least somewhat informed about, and interested in, politics, at least half indicated that their knowledge of, and interest in, politics had increased because of their child(ren)'s participation in Student Vote. At least half of the parents who indicated no increase in knowledge or interest stated that it was because of their already high level of knowledge or interest, limiting the impact that their child(ren)'s participation in Student Vote could have. The majority of parents stated that voting was the responsibility of citizens, and this was evidenced by the majority of parents who reported voting in the 2015 federal election. Just over a quarter of parents reported that their child(ren) had positively influenced their decision to vote.
4.3.1 Parent Knowledge
The majority of parents (85%) reported being somewhat or very informed about politics.
Figure 4-44: Parent Self-reported Knowledge of Politics
Text description of graph "Figure 4-44: Parent Self-reported Knowledge of Politics"
Question: How informed are you about politics?
Half of parents (50%) stated that they knew more about politics because of their child(ren)'s involvement with Student Vote. A further 25% of parents reported that their level of knowledge was already high, implying that their child(ren) could not further increase it.
Figure 4-45: Increased Own Personal Knowledge of Politics
Text description of graph "Figure 4-45: Increased Own Personal Knowledge of Politics"
Question: Do you agree or disagree that your child's involvement in the Student Vote program increased your own personal knowledge of politics?
The majority of the parents (90%) reported that their child(ren)'s participation in Student Vote had increased their family's opportunities to learn more about elections and politics.
Figure 4-46: Provide Opportunity to Learn More about Politics
Text description of graph "Figure 4-46: Provide Opportunity to Learn More about Politics"
Question: Do you agree or disagree that the Student Vote program provided your family with the opportunity to learn more about politics and elections?
Most interviewed parents indicated that their child(ren)'s participation in Student Vote had increased their knowledge of politics and elections. Parents reported that they had gained procedural knowledge about elections – e.g. polling station operations – and details about the issues during the election. This knowledge had been gained by conversing with their children and assisting them with assignments.
4.3.2 Parent Interest
The majority (78%) of parents reported being somewhat or very interested in politics.
Figure 4-47: Parent Self-reported Interest in Politics
Text description of graph "Figure 4-47: Parent Self-reported Interest in Politics"
Question: How interested are you in politics?
Over half of parents (58%) strongly or somewhat agreed that their child(ren)'s involvement in Student Vote had increased their interest in politics. An additional 24% of parents reported that their initial level of interest in politics had already been high, implying that there was little room for increased interest.
Figure 4-48: Increased Own Personal Interest in Politics
Text description of graph "Figure 4-48: Increased Own Personal Interest in Politics"
Question: Do you agree or disagree that your child's involvement in the Student Vote program increased your own personal interest in politics?
When interviewed, parents were asked whether their child(ren)'s interest in the 2015 election had led them to be more interested in the election; most parents said no. Parents stated that the lack of impact was due to an already high initial level of interest they had in the election. However, one parent noted that the more that was learned about the election, the more interesting it became.
4.3.3 Parent Discussions of Politics
The majority of parents (75%) reported talking with their child(ren) about politics at least once a week during the election. Only 5% of parents indicated that they never talked about politics with their child(ren).
Figure 4-49: Discussed Politics with Child(ren)
Text description of graph "Figure 4-49: Discussed Politics with Child(ren)"
Question: During the recent federal election, how often did you discuss politics with your child?
4.3.4 Parent Voting Intentions
The majority of parents indicated that they had voted in the 2015 federal election.
Figure 4-50: Voting Behaviour
Text description of graph "Figure 4-50: Voting Behaviour"
Question: Were you able to vote during the recent federal election?
Just over a quarter of parents reported that their decision to vote in the 2015 federal election had been positively influenced by their child(ren)'s participation in Student Vote.
Figure 4-51: Positively Influenced Decision to Vote by Child
Text description of graph "Figure 4-51: Positively Influenced Decision to Vote by Child"
Question: Did your child's participation in the Student Vote program/learning about the election positively influence your decision to vote?
Interviewed parents all responded that their decision to vote had not been changed by information their child had brought home. All the parents stated that they were voters and that they were planning to cast a ballot during the federal election regardless of what their child was studying.
Like teachers, the most common reason parents gave for voting in the 2015 federal election was that it was their responsibility as a Canadian citizen.
| Reason | Post-program (n=514) |
|---|---|
| I believe it is my responsibility as a Canadian citizen | 48% |
| It is my way to have a voice in the future of the country | 17% |
| I want to choose the best person to represent me and my community | 16% |
| Voting is a way to affect how issues will be decided | 13% |
| If I don't vote, I can't complain | 3% |
| To set an example | 1% |
| Most of my friends/family who are old enough to vote, do vote | 0% |
| My child encouraged me to vote | 0% |
| Other | 1% |
| Don't know | 0% |
The most common reason that parents gave for not voting in the 2015 federal election was that they were not a Canadian citizen.
| Reason | Post-program (n=50) |
|---|---|
| I am not a Canadian citizen | 44% |
| I don't have time | 14% |
| I don't know enough about the issues to make a decision | 14% |
| I am not interested in politics | 10% |
| There is no difference between parties | 8% |
| I don't know how to vote | 2% |
| My one vote is not going to make a difference | 0% |
| Other (non-specified) | 6% |
| Don't know/not sure | 2% |
The majority of parents (97%) strongly or somewhat agreed that voting was a responsibility of citizens.
Figure 4-52: Voting Responsibilty
Text description of graph "Figure 4-52: Voting Responsibilty"
Question: It is our responsibility as citizens to vote in elections.
The majority of parents (97%) strongly or somewhat agreed that there were issues affecting their community or country that they cared about.
Figure 4-53: Concern with Issues
Text description of graph "Figure 4-53: Concern with Issues"
Question: There are issues affecting my community or country that I care about.
The majority of parents (94%) strongly or somewhat agreed that some politicians talked about issues that were important to them.
Figure 4-54: Politicians Speak about Important Issues
Text description of graph "Figure 4-54: Politicians Speak about Important Issues"
Question: Some politicians talk about issues that are important to me.
4.4 Satisfaction with Student Vote
Approximately three-quarters of students reported enjoying learning about government and politics through Student Vote. Additionally, voting in the Student Vote election was the most commonly mentioned activity that students had engaged in during the election, and it was rated as one of the top three most useful activities by over half of students. Finally, while over half of all students reported being interested in participating in Student Vote again, elementary students were more likely than secondary students to want to participate in a future Student Vote program.
4.4.1 Student Satisfaction
Less than half of elementary and secondary students reported participating in Student Vote before the 2015 federal election. However, there was a sizeable increase in the proportion of students who stated after the election that they had previously participated in Student Vote. This increase may indicate that students erroneously reported the Student Vote program for the 2015 federal election as prior participation. Conversely, participating in Student Vote for the 2015 federal election may have reminded students that they had participated in the program for a previous election.
Figure 4-55: Elementary Students' Previous Participation in Student Vote
Text description of graph "Figure 4-55: Elementary Students' Previous Participation in Student Vote"
Question: Have you ever participated in Student Vote in the past?
Figure 4-56: Secondary Students' Previous Participation in Student Vote
Text description of graph "Figure 4-56: Secondary Students' Previous Participation in Student Vote"
Question: Have you ever participated in Student Vote in the past?
Just under three-quarters of elementary students (72%), and just over three-quarters of secondary students (76%), reported enjoying learning about politics through the Student Vote program somewhat or a great deal. Among both groups of students, less than 10% reported stating that they did not at all enjoy learning about politics.
Figure 4-57: Enjoyment Learning about Politics and the Federal Government – Elementary Student Survey
Question (post-program participant): Overall, how much did you enjoy learning about politics and the Canadian government through the Student Vote program?
Figure 4-58: Enjoyment Learning about Politics and the Federal Government – Secondary Student Survey
Question (post-program participant): Overall, how much did you enjoy learning about politics and the Canadian government through the Student Vote program?
Voting in a Student Vote election and discussing the election during class were the two most common activities reported by students. These two activities were also most commonly listed as the top three most useful activities by students.
| Activity | Engaged in Activity | Top Three Activities |
|---|---|---|
| Voted in a Student Vote election at your school | 90%/85% | 59%/57% |
| Discussed the election during class | 82%/82% | 41%/27% |
| Learned about how Canada's electoral system works | 63%/69% | 22%/14% |
| Learned about the different responsibilities of the federal, provincial and municipal governments | 64%/63% | 12%/17% |
| Researched political parties and their leaders | 69%/65% | 23%/9% |
| Researched the local candidates | 51%/46% | 13%/10% |
| Watched the candidates' debate(s) on TV or online | 51%/53% | 17%/14% |
| Tracked media coverage on the election | 36%/26% | 9%/8% |
| Performed the role of a candidate or participated in a mock debate on the election | 20%/10% | 5%/2% |
| Interacted with the local candidates through a debate, meeting or interview | 19%/24% | 5%/2% |
| Analyzed political ads | 33%/51% | 7%/13% |
| Discussed the election at home | 55%/57% | 17%/15% |
| Discussed the election with your friends | 51%/36% | 12%/7% |
| Shared information about parties, candidates and issues with students in other classes in your school | 44%/24% | 5%/4% |
| Acted as an election official (e.g. deputy returning officer, poll clerk or party representative) | 27%/32% | 9%/5% |
| Analyzed the election results afterwards | 41%/22% | 16%/2% |
| Encouraged your parents/guardians to vote or talked to your parents about whether or not they vote | 43%/13% | 14%/1% |
| Other (please describe) | 14%/1% | 1%/1% |
| None of the above | 2%/3% | 10%/10% |
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School, television and family were the most used sources to learn about and discuss politics by all the students, both before and after the completion of Student Vote. The three sources also tended to be the top three relied-upon sources by students.
| Information Source | Pre-program (n=2,332) Used |
Pre-program (n=2,332) Top Three |
Post-program (n=1,868) Used |
Post-program (n=1,868) Top Three |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School/your teacher | 70%/77% | 51%/47% | 79%/81% | 57%/50% |
| Television | 63%/76% | 44%/53% | 67%/72% | 45%/50% |
| Family | 58%/68% | 38%/39% | 66%/69% | 43%/38% |
| Radio | 41%/46% | 20%/19% | 43%/52% | 20%/19% |
| Friends | 33%/39% | 14%/13% | 41%/44% | 15%/13% |
| Media websites | 32%/45% | 14%/18% | 39%/49% | 13%/22% |
| Social media | 30%/60% | 15%/38% | 34%/63% | 14%/39% |
| Newspapers/magazines | 29%/37% | 11%/11% | 34%/35% | 15%/9% |
| Government and/or political party website(s) | 22%/16% | 10%/5% | 35%/20% | 14%/5% |
| Don't know/not sure | 6%/3% | 0%/0% | 3%/2% | 1%/1% |
| None of these | 3%/2% | 0%/0% | 3%/2% | 9%/1% |
Elementary students were more likely to report that they would like to participate in Student Vote in the future than secondary students. Conversely, secondary students were more likely to report that they did not want to participate in Student Vote again. However, over half of students in both groups stated that they would like to participate in Student Vote again.
Figure 4-59: Student Interest in Future Participation in Student Vote
Text description of graph "Figure 4-59: Student Interest in Future Participation in Student Vote"
Question: Would you like to participate in another Student Vote program during the next election?
4.4.2 Teacher Satisfaction
Teachers reported being very satisfied with Student Vote materials, resources and support. All the materials and resources provided by Student Vote were very highly rated. Over 90% of teachers who used the materials rated them as either good or excellent. Thus, almost all teachers indicated future intentions to participate in Student Vote again.
Attending a Democracy Bootcamp had a slight effect on teacher ratings of the Student Vote materials. For example, teachers who had not attended a Democracy Bootcamp were more likely to state that they had not used the electoral district maps (10% vs. 5%) or posters (4% vs. 1%) when teaching about the election. Additionally, teachers who had attended a Democracy Bootcamp were more likely to give a rating of excellent to the Student Vote website (82% vs. 70%), Student Vote online resources and educational tools (80% vs. 72%) and Student Vote communications (82% vs. 69%). However, for these resources, teachers who had not attended a Democracy Bootcamp were more likely to give a good rating than those who had attended. Thus, while there was a slight difference between these two groups in absolute ratings, teachers overall, as noted above, were very satisfied with the materials provided by Student Vote.
| Resource | Excellent | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Activity resource (elementary) (n=1,153) | 71% | 26% | 3% | 0% |
| Activity resource (secondary) (n=569) | 63% | 34% | 3% | 0% |
| Campaign guide (n=1,242) | 56% | 40% | 4% | 0% |
| Election manual (n=1,351) | 63% | 35% | 2% | 0% |
| Electoral district map (n=1,312) | 67% | 27% | 5% | 1% |
| Poster (n=1,402) | 66% | 29% | 5% | 0% |
| Ballots (n=1,436) | 88% | 12% | 1% | 0% |
| Ballot boxes and voting screens (n=1,426) | 90% | 10% | 0% | 0% |
| Student Vote website (n=1,381) | 75% | 23% | 2% | 0% |
| Student Vote online resources and educational tools (n=1,366) | 77% | 20% | 2% | 0% |
| Student Vote communications (n=1,400) | 73% | 25% | 1% | 0% |
Satisfaction with the Student Vote materials was echoed by the teacher interviewees. Teachers reported that the Student Vote materials were accurate, of high quality, age appropriate, curriculum aligned, engaging and accessible. The videos and handouts/activities were the Student Vote materials that teachers most commonly used. While the materials were sometimes found to be too complicated for some classrooms, teachers reported that they could be readily adapted as needed. Teachers were able to pick and choose from the materials to meet the needs of the classroom. However, very few of the interviewed teachers taught directly from the materials, instead viewing them as a good starting point or a supplement to the regular lesson plan.
Teachers also reported that the ballot boxes and voting materials helped make Student Vote feel more official. Making the parallel voting seem more official helped connect students to the events in the real world and made them feel like they were part of something bigger than themselves.
Almost all (98%) of the teachers stated that the CIVIX support was great or excellent. Interviewed teachers agreed with this assessment, stating that the CIVIX communication and planning were good. Student Vote packages arrived well in advance of need, questions and inquiries were answered promptly and communication was efficient and not overwhelming.
Attending a Democracy Bootcamp had a slight impact on reported satisfaction with CIVIX support. While almost all teachers felt that CIVIX support was good, teachers who had attended a Democracy Bootcamp were more likely to rate it as excellent (86% vs.77%). Conversely, teachers who had not attended a Democracy Bootcamp were more likely to rate communication as great (20% vs. 14%).
Figure 4-60: Teacher Satisfaction with CIVIX Support
Text description of graph "Figure 4-60: Teacher Satisfaction with CIVIX Support"
Question: How would you rate the general level of support you received from the CIVIX team throughout the campaign?
Nearly all (98%) of the teachers indicated that they were very likely to participate in a future Student Vote program. The teachers interviewed echoed this feeling, and all indicated that they planned to participate in Student Vote again in the future.
Figure 4-61: Teacher Intentions for Future Involvement with Student Vote
Text description of graph "Figure 4-61: Teacher Intentions for Future Involvement with Student Vote"
Question: How likely would you be to participate in a future Student Vote program?
4.4.3 Parent Satisfaction
Most of the parents reported that the 2015 federal election was the first time that their child(ren) had participated in Student Vote.
Figure 4-62: Prior Student Involvement with Student Vote – Parent Survey (n=600)
Question: Was this the first time your child participated in Student Vote?
Almost all parents reported that they would support their child(ren)'s participation in a future Student Vote program. Interviewed parents noted that their child(ren) had enjoyed the program and its connections to the real world. Participating in the program had made the student(s) feel a part of something bigger. One parent noted that the combination of the child's age and the importance of the election had made this a perfect time for Student Vote. This parent further noted that the older sibling, although still interested and knowledgeable, had not seemed as engaged when learning about the same material during a non-election year.
Figure 4-63: Future Student Involvement with Student Vote – Parent Survey (n=594)
Question: Would you support your child's involvement in future Student Vote programs?
4.5 Participation in Student Vote
CIVIX reported that 6,662 schools had participated in Student Vote for the 2015 federal election, with 922,000 students casting ballots. Participation of schools and students represented all the federal electoral districts across Canada. This level of participation represented more than a 78% increase in the number of schools, and a 64% increase in the number of students, over the number that had participated in 2011, making it the largest Student Vote program to date.
Just over a third of teachers (34%) who participated in Student Vote for the 2015 federal election were participating in the program for the first time. Additionally, just over a quarter of teachers (29%) had previously participated in the program three or more times.
Figure 4-64: Previous Experience with Student Vote – Pre-program Teachers (n=170)
Question: How many times have you participated in the Student Vote program?
Just under a quarter of teachers (24%) reported that the 2015 federal election was the first time they had participated in Student Vote. Among those teachers who had previously participated in Student Vote, approximately equal proportions had participated in Student Vote at each of the three levels of government.
Figure 4-65: Previous Participation in Student Vote – Post-program Teachers (n=1,448)
Question: How many times have you participated in the Student Vote program?
The desire to help students understand government and to help meet curriculum requirements were the two most common reasons stated for participating in Student Vote. However, interviews with teachers highlighted other benefits of the Student Vote program – e.g. it makes teaching the unit easier; the materials that are provided for Student Vote are reliable, accurate and of high quality, allowing teachers to teach rather than spend time developing their own materials.
| Reason | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Helps educate students about government/elections/voting | 14% |
| Develops citizen/civic/political participation/interest | 4% |
| Direct/hands-on/real-life learning experience | 8% |
| Teaching complements/enhances related material | 5% |
| Good program/experience/opportunity | 7% |
| Student interest/students wanted a voice/they enjoyed it | 2% |
| Encouraging students to vote/creating future voters | 5% |
| Previous experience/participation in program | 8% |
| Part of curriculum/program requirement/relation/upcoming event | 10% |
| Good resources/resource material/support | 5% |
| Personal interest/interest in politics/civics/democracy | 5% |
| Received an invitation/information | 6% |
| Advice/recommendation/prompting of school official | 6% |
| Educational/increases student exposure/engagement | 9% |
| Easy to implement/clear guidelines/timely | 1% |
| Other | 3% |
Note: Teachers could provide multiple responses.
Teachers noted that they are always developing lesson plans and materials to teach to their classes. Student Vote does that work for them. Teachers can review the Student Vote material and select what works for them. This allows teachers to adapt the material to the needs of their classroom and curriculum. Additionally, as noted by some teachers, much of the material could not be developed by individual teachers. The Elections Canada ballot boxes, national tabulation of the voting results and videos were cited as examples of special contributions that Student Vote makes that could not be readily replicated, materials that help link students to the rest of the country.
4.5.1 Democracy Bootcamp
A total of 163 teacher respondents (11%) indicated that they had attended a Democracy Bootcamp in 2015. Most of the teachers (82%) attending a Democracy Bootcamp had previously participated in Student Vote. This differed from teachers who had not participated in a Democracy Bootcamp, where only 58% had previously participated in Student Vote. Additionally, a greater proportion of Democracy Bootcamp attendees (58%) had been teaching for more than eight years, compared to teachers who had not attended a Democracy Bootcamp (49%). However, there were no differences between teachers who had or had not attended a Democracy Bootcamp in terms of gender or being born outside Canada.
Additionally, while both groups were similarly interested in politics, more Democracy Bootcamp attendees rated themselves as very interested in politics (66% vs. 47%), and more non-attendees rated themselves as somewhat interested (47% vs. 31%). A similar result was observed for the impact of Student Vote on confidence in teaching politics and Canadian government. All teachers agreed that Student Vote had increased their confidence in teaching politics; however, teachers who had attended a Democracy Bootcamp were more likely to strongly agree (77% vs. 64%), and non-attendees were more likely to somewhat agree (34% vs. 23%). There were no differences between the two groups in how informed they felt they were about politics or in their voting behaviour during the federal election.
When asked about the impact of the Democracy Bootcamp, teachers most commonly reported that the event had strengthened their commitment to civic education.
Figure 4-66: Outcomes of Democracy Bootcamp (n=163)
Text description of graph "Figure 4-66: Outcomes of Democracy Bootcamp (n=163)"
Question: Thinking specifically of Democracy Bootcamp, did it contribute to achieving the following?
Attending a Democracy Bootcamp impacted how teachers taught Student Vote. While the amount of preparation time that teachers dedicated to Student Vote did not differ by attendance at a Democracy Bootcamp, teachers who had attended a Democracy Bootcamp (53%) were more likely to spend 10 or more hours of classroom time teaching about the election than non-attendees (41%). There were also some differences in the activities that teachers undertook with their students during the election. As shown in Table 4-11, teachers who had attended a Democracy Bootcamp were more likely to track media coverage, engage with local candidates, analyze political ads and encourage students to talk about the election at home than teachers who had not attended a Democracy Bootcamp. Finally, there were no reported differences between the two groups in the proportion of teachers who submitted the results of the Student Vote election. However, CIVIX reports that, over the entire program, teachers who had participated in a Democracy Bootcamp (97%) were more likely to report their results than teachers who had not participated (87%).
| Activity | Attended Democracy Bootcamp (n=163) |
Did Not Attend Democracy Bootcamp (n=1,285) |
|---|---|---|
| Organized a Student Vote election where students voted on local election candidates | 96% | 96% |
| Learned about how Canada's electoral system works | 92% | 95% |
| Learned about the different responsibilities of the federal, provincial and municipal governments | 87% | 85% |
| Researched political parties and their leaders | 94% | 91% |
| Researched the local candidates | 74% | 72% |
| Watched the leaders' or candidates' debate(s) on TV or online | 45% | 41% |
| Tracked media coverage of the election | 65%* | 56%* |
| Had students perform the roles of candidates and/or participate in a mock debate about the election | 17% | 15% |
| Engaged with the local candidates through a debate, meeting or interview | 23%* | 15%* |
| Had students analyze political ads | 53%* | 43%* |
| Encouraged students to discuss the election at home | 97%* | 92%* |
| Encouraged students to discuss the election with their friends | 85% | 81% |
| Had students share information about the election, candidates and issues with other students in the school | 56% | 48% |
| Asked students to perform the roles of election officials (e.g. deputy returning officer, poll clerk or party representative) | 70% | 64% |
| Analyzed the election results afterwards | 88% | 87% |
| Encouraged students to tell their parents/guardians to vote | 90% | 84% |
*Differences between groups are significant at the 0.05 level.
There were some differences in activities perceived as being most useful between those who had attended a Democracy Bootcamp and those who had not. Teachers who had attended a Democracy Bootcamp were more likely to rank researching political parties and their leaders, tracking media coverage and engaging local candidates as the top three most useful activities than teachers who had not attended. Conversely, teachers who had not attended a Democracy Bootcamp were more likely to rank learning about Canada's electoral system and learning about the different levels of government among the top three activities.
| Activity | Attended Democracy Bootcamp (n=163) |
Did Not Attend Democracy Bootcamp (n=1,285) |
|---|---|---|
| Organized a Student Vote election where students voted on local election candidates | 84% | 81% |
| Learned about how Canada's electoral system works | 28%* | 44%* |
| Learned about the different responsibilities of the federal, provincial and municipal governments | 16%* | 26%* |
| Researched political parties and their leaders | 55%* | 42%* |
| Researched the local candidates | 9% | 10% |
| Watched the leaders' or candidates' debate(s) on TV or online | 6% | 6% |
| Tracked media coverage of the election | 12%* | 6%* |
| Had students perform the roles of candidates and/or participate in a mock debate about the election | 4% | 4% |
| Engaged with the local candidates through a debate, meeting or interview | 12%* | 7%* |
| Had students analyze political ads | 8% | 5% |
| Encouraged students to discuss the election at home | 19% | 15% |
| Encouraged students to discuss the election with their friends | 3% | 2% |
| Had students share information about the election, candidates and issues with other students in the school | 4% | 5% |
| Asked students to perform the roles of election officials (e.g. deputy returning officer, poll clerk or party representative) | 18% | 18% |
| Analyzed the election results afterwards | 9% | 12% |
| Encouraged students to tell their parents/guardians to vote | 6% | 6% |
*Differences between groups are significant at the 0.05 level.
The impact that attending a Democracy Bootcamp had on perceived student outcomes was mixed. When differences were observed, they were more a matter of degree than a difference of opinion concerning the impact of Student Vote. That is to say, all teachers tended to report that Student Vote had had an impact on student outcomes; however, teachers who had attended a Democracy Bootcamp were more likely to report a stronger impact of Student Vote.
There were no differences in the perception of Student Vote's impact on increasing student knowledge. All teachers felt that Student Vote had impacted student knowledge, with the majority stating that Student Vote had had a significant impact.
Figure 4-67: Increasing Students' Knowledge of Canada's Electoral Process
Question: Thinking specifically about the Student Vote materials, activities and overall process, to what extent do you feel they have contributed to achieving the following?
There were no differences in the perceived impact of Student Vote on students' sense of civic responsibility. Teachers who had attended and had not attended a Democracy Bootcamp reported a similar impact on Student Vote.
Figure 4-68: Strengthening Students' Sense of Civic Duty and Responsibility
Question: Thinking specifically about the Student Vote materials, activities and overall process, to what extent do you feel they have contributed to achieving the following?
There was a difference in the degree of impact reported by Democracy Bootcamp attendees and non-attendees. Teachers who had attended a Democracy Bootcamp were more likely to report that Student Vote had had a significant impact on motivating students to discuss politics with family and friends, while teachers who had not attended a Democracy Bootcamp said that Student Vote had had somewhat of an impact.
Figure 4-69: Motivating Students to Discuss Politics with Family and Friends
Question: Thinking specifically about the Student Vote materials, activities and overall process, to what extent do you feel they have contributed to achieving the following?
Similarly, teachers who had attended a Democracy Bootcamp were more likely than non-attendees to state that Student Vote had had a significant impact on student interest, while those who had not attended were more likely to state that Student Vote had had somewhat of an impact.
Figure 4-70: Increasing Students' Level of Interest in Politics and Public Policy
Question: Thinking specifically about the Student Vote materials, activities and overall process, to what extent do you feel they have contributed to achieving the following?
Teachers who had attended a Democracy Bootcamp felt that Student Vote had had a greater impact on student intentions to vote, with more saying that Student Vote had had a significant impact. Teachers who had not attended a Democracy Bootcamp were more likely to state that Student Vote had had somewhat of an impact.
Figure 4-71: Increasing Students' Intentions to Vote in Future Elections
Text description of graph "Figure 4-71: Increasing Students' Intentions to Vote in Future Elections"
Question: Thinking specifically about the Student Vote materials, activities and overall process, to what extent do you feel they have contributed to achieving the following?
There were no differences between the two groups in the perceived impact of Student Vote on students' critical-thinking skills.
Figure 4-72: Improving Students' Critical-Thinking and Decision-Making Skills around Politics and Elections
Question: Thinking specifically about the Student Vote materials, activities and overall process, to what extent do you feel they have contributed to achieving the following?
4.5.2 Previous Teacher Participation in Student Vote
Over half (60%) of post-program teachers reported participating in Student Vote before the 2015 federal election. Teachers who had previously participated in Student Vote were more likely to state that they were very informed about politics, and first-time Student Vote teachers were more likely to state that they were somewhat uninformed. Similarly, teachers who had previously participated in Student Vote were more likely to report that they were very interested in politics, while first-time Student Vote teachers were more likely to report that they were somewhat interested or somewhat uninterested. This implies that Student Vote had a carry-over effect for teachers who participated in the program. There were no differences between the groups in terms of confidence in teaching civics.
| QuestionPrior Student Vote Experience |
Very | Somewhat Positive | Somewhat Negative | Not at All |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How informed are you about politics?a (n=1,446)Yes | 41%* | 55%* | 3%* | 1% |
| How informed are you about politics?a (n=1,446)No | 26%* | 67%* | 7%* | 0% |
| How interested are you in politics?b (n=1,448)Yes | 55%* | 42%* | 3%* | 1% |
| How interested are you in politics?b (n=1,448)No | 40%* | 51%* | 8%* | 1% |
| I feel confident in teaching issues related to Canadian government and civics.c (n=1,448)Yes | 65% | 32% | 2% | 0% |
| I feel confidence in teaching issues related to Canadian government and civics.c (n=1,448)No | 65% | 33% | 2% | 0% |
aResponse categories were Very informed, Somewhat informed, Somewhat uninformed, Not at all informed.
bResponse categories were Very interested, Somewhat interested, Somewhat uninterested, Not at all interested.
cResponse categories were Strongly agree, Somewhat agree, Somewhat disagree, Strongly disagree.
* Differences between groups are significant at the 0.05 level.
A final series of regressions was conducted to assess the impact of both teacher participation in a Democracy Bootcamp and prior teacher experiences with Student Vote on student outcomes. Separate regressions were run for elementary students and secondary students. The student outcomes tested included student knowledge scores, interest in politics, engagement in politics, confidence in discussing politics and future intentions to vote. After controlling for student demographics (age, gender, born in Canada) and prior student participation in Student Vote, the teacher variables had a minimal impact on outcomes. Prior teacher experience with Student Vote did not significantly impact any student outcomes, and participation in a Democracy Bootcamp impacted one outcome: elementary students whose teacher had attended a Democracy Bootcamp were more engaged in learning about politics.
4.5.3 Previous Student Participation in Student VoteFootnote 2
To help understand the impact that previous experience with Student Vote had on student outcomes, the responses of students who had participated in an earlier Student Vote program were compared with students who were new to Student Vote. To remove the effect of current experiences with Student Vote, only pre-program surveys were assessed. Just over a fifth (23%) of pre-program elementary students reported participating in Student Vote before the 2015 federal election; just over half of pre-program secondary students (53%) reported previous participation in Student Vote.
For pre-program elementary students, prior exposure to Student Vote impacted confidence in talking about politics. Pre-program elementary students who had previously participated in Student Vote were less likely to state that they were not at all comfortable talking about politics with either family or friends than students who were participating in Student Vote for the first time.
| QuestionPrior Student Vote Experience |
Very | Somewhat Positive | Somewhat Negative | Not at All |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How much do you understand about politics?a (n=915)Yes | 7% | 32% | 53% | 8% |
| How much do you understand about politics?a (n=915)No | 9% | 34% | 46% | 11% |
| How interested are you in politics?b (n=917)Yes | 20% | 46% | 25% | 10% |
| How interested are you in politics?b (n=917)No | 21% | 43% | 25% | 11% |
| How comfortable are you telling your friends what you think about politics?c (n=909)Yes | 39% | 41% | 11% | 9%* |
| How comfortable are you telling your friends what you think about politics?c (n=909)No | 35% | 34% | 15% | 16%* |
| How comfortable are you telling your family what you think about politics?c (n=904)Yes | 57% | 29% | 7% | 7%* |
| How comfortable are you telling your family what you think about politics?c (n=904)No | 53% | 24% | 10% | 13%* |
aResponse categories were A lot, Quite a bit, A little bit, Not at all.
bResponse categories were Very interested, Somewhat interested, Not very interested, Not at all interested.
cResponse categories were Very comfortable, Somewhat comfortable, Not very comfortable, Not at all comfortable.
* Differences between groups are significant at the 0.05 level.
Among pre-program secondary students, prior Student Vote participation was associated with a slightly greater interest in politics. Specifically, pre-program secondary students who had participated in Student Vote previously were more likely to state that they were somewhat interested in politics, and less likely to report being not very interested in politics, than pre-program secondary students who were new to Student Vote. Additionally, secondary students who had previously participated in Student Vote were more likely to report that they were very comfortable talking to their friends about politics than students who were participating in Student Vote for the first time.
| QuestionPrior Student Vote Experience |
Very | Somewhat Positive | Somewhat Negative | Not at All |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How much do you understand about politics?a (n=1,010)Yes | 6% | 36% | 51% | 7% |
| How much do you understand about politics?a (n=1,010)No | 6% | 29% | 55% | 10% |
| How interested are you in politics?b (n=1,010)Yes | 11% | 52%* | 26%* | 11% |
| How interested are you in politics?b (n=1,010)No | 10% | 41%* | 34%* | 15% |
| How comfortable are you telling your friends what you think about politics?c (n=1,006)Yes | 52%* | 33% | 11% | 4% |
| How comfortable are you telling your friends what you think about politics?c (n=1,006)No | 44%* | 38% | 12% | 6% |
| How comfortable are you telling your family what you think about politics?c (n=1,001)Yes | 61% | 29% | 7% | 4% |
| How comfortable are you telling your family what you think about politics?c (n=1,001)No | 57% | 31% | 7% | 5% |
aResponse categories were A lot, Quite a bit, A little bit, Not at all.
bResponse categories were Very interested, Somewhat interested, Not very interested, Not at all interested.
cResponse categories were Very comfortable, Somewhat comfortable, Not very comfortable, Not at all comfortable.
* Differences between groups are significant at the 0.05 level.
For both pre-program elementary and pre-program secondary students, prior participation did not significantly impact student interest in voting in the 2015 federal election. Over 80% of students in all groups stated that they would have voted in the 2015 election if they had been eligible.
| GradesPrior Student Vote Experience |
If you had been old enough to vote in the federal election on October 19, would you have voted? Yes |
If you had been old enough to vote in the federal election on October 19, would you have voted? No |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary (n=761)Yes | 87% | 13% |
| Elementary (n=761)No | 83% | 17% |
| Secondary (n=836)Yes | 89% | 11% |
| Secondary (n=836)No | 87% | 13% |
A series of regressions were conducted with post-program students to assess the degree to which pre-program differences were maintained after students had completed the Student Vote program. The regressions controlled for student demographics (age, gender, born in Canada) and school type. Prior participation in Student Vote did not significantly impact any student outcome variables after the program had been completed. These results indicate that while Student Vote may have some carry-over effects for students, these effects are subsumed in recent exposure to the program.
4.6 Non-participation in Student Vote
A lack of time was the most common reason that non-participating teachers provided about why they had not registered for Student Vote for the 2015 election. Half of non-participating teachers stated that they had not had time to implement Student Vote and/or had not had time to integrate it into their lesson plan. This perception was also found in the interviews with non-participating teachers and is related in part to the timing of the federal election (October 19). The start of the school year is a hectic time for teachers, and when things had settled down, they felt that it was too late to register. However, one teacher noted that the materials developed over years of teaching had been adequate and, therefore, there was no need for Student Vote.
| Totally Agree | Somewhat Agree | Somewhat Disagree | Totally Disagree | Don't Know | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I did not have time to implement Student Vote (n=134) | 25% | 34% | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| I didn't have room or flexibility in my teaching plan or curriculum (n=134) | 11% | 22% | 26% | 29% | 12% |
| It doesn't align with my personal interests (n=134) | 2% | 10% | 25% | 47% | 15% |
| There's too much to do – it's too involved (n=134) | 5% | 22% | 24% | 25% | 25% |
| The resources and teaching approach I used were suitable without Student Vote (n=134) | 10% | 37% | 18% | 16% | 19% |
| It was not my decision – my school administration and/or department head decided not to participate (n=133) | 8% | 9% | 9% | 48% | 26% |
| I was not made aware of Student Vote early enough to integrate it into my teaching plan (n=134) | 22% | 28% | 18% | 21% | 10% |
Non-participating teachers interviewed noted that the main reason that they had not participated in Student Vote was that they thought it was too late to register when they were ready/aware of the program. Three of the five non-participating teachers interviewed noted that had they learned of the program sooner, they would have registered for Student Vote for the 2015 federal election. These teachers further noted that they were planning to register for future Student Vote programs. The remaining two teachers reported that the materials they had, either older Student Vote materials or self-developed lessons plans, were adequate to teach the material to students.
Return to source of Footnote 2Students who stated that they did not know whether they had previously participated in Student Vote were not included in this analysis.