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Voter Turnout by Age Group

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Infographics

This table presents Elections Canada estimates of voter turnout by age group for the 2011 and 2015 federal general elections.

In the 2015 election, the participation of voters aged 18 to 24 increased by 18.3 percentage points to 57.1% (from 38.8% in 2011). This is the largest increase for this age group since Elections Canada began reporting demographic data on turnout in 2004. Within this age group, those eligible to vote for the first time cast their ballot at a slightly higher rate (58.3%) than those who had been eligible to vote in the previous election (55.1%).

Participation of voters aged 25 to 34 increased by 12.3 percentage points to 57.4% (from 45.1% in 2011). Voters aged 65 to 74 continued to have the highest participation rate of all age groups, with a slight increase in turnout to 78.8% (from 75.1% in 2011).


Voter Turnout by Age Group
2011 and 2015 General Elections
Age Group 2011 2015 Turnout
Difference
Estimate 95% Confidence
Limits
Estimate 95% Confidence
Limits
Lower Upper Lower Upper
1st timeFootnote 1 40.5 39.1 42.0 58.3 57.2 59.3 17.7
Not 1st TimeFootnote 2 37.8 36.3 39.4 55.1 53.9 56.3 17.3
18 to 24 years 38.8 37.5 40.2 57.1 56.2 57.9 18.3
25 to 34 years 45.1 43.0 47.2 57.4 56.2 58.7 12.3
35 to 44 years 54.5 52.6 56.4 61.9 60.9 62.9 7.4
45 to 54 years 64.5 63.3 65.8 66.6 65.8 67.4 2.1
55 to 64 years 71.5 69.7 73.2 73.7 72.8 74.7 2.3
65 to 74 years 75.1 72.8 77.5 78.8 77.6 79.9 3.7
75 years and over 60.3 57.5 63.2 67.4 64.4 70.4 7.1
Canada 58.5 58.5 58.5 66.1Footnote 3 66.1 66.1 7.6

Footnote 1 Voters eligible to vote for the first time.

Footnote 2 Voters between 18 and 24 years old who were eligible to vote in the previous election.

Footnote 3 The numbers presented in this table are based on the population of eligible electors, as opposed to the population of registered electors that is used to calculate the official voting results. This explains the gap between the official voter turnout of 68.3% for all of Canada in 2015 and the overall voter turnout of 66.1% presented above. Using the population of eligible electors enables us to compare participation rates over time and across age groups.

Data sources: Under the Chief Electoral Officer's authority, Elections Canada is using administrative data from the electoral process to obtain a random sample of electors who voted. By linking these data to the National Register of Electors, Elections Canada is able to produce estimates of voter turnout by age and sex.