New Analysis of the 2015 National Youth Survey

The National Youth Election Survey Report: A Subgroup Analysis of Political and Civic Participation among Canadian Youth
Filip Kostelka and Colin Scott

This report looks at the state of Canadian youth involvement in political and civic life. What factors explain the lower voting rate of youth? Do youth differ from older adults in other forms of political and civic participation? How equal is participation among various youth subgroups? The authors take a closer look at unemployed youth, youth living in rural areas and Aboriginal youth, and the factors that may account for variations in participation.

I Don't Want To or Is It Too Difficult? The Impact of Motivational and Access Factors on Youth Turnout in the 2015 Canadian Election
Jean-François Daoust and Fernando Feitosa

Which factors have the greatest impact on youth turnout? The authors look for relationships between socio-demographic characteristics and youth opinions on 11 motivational factors and six access factors, then between those motivational/access factors and turnout. They determine that the ease of getting to the voting location and the sense of civic duty were the most important predictors of youth turnout in the 2015 Canadian federal election and offer recommendations on what should be done to foster youth turnout in the next elections

The Social and Civic Sources of Voting and Participation
Philippe Duguay and Allison Harell

The people we interact with, especially those in our immediate social network such as friends and family, can be important influences on what we think about and how we engage in politics. This report focuses on the social and civic sources of electoral engagement, with an emphasis on factors in the family, in broader social networks and in the classroom. The analysis suggests that the most effective interventions will focus not just on the individual, but on the social environments in which one finds oneself.

The Electoral Participation of Diverse Canadian Youth in the 2015 Federal Election
Valérie-Anne Mahéo and Sara Vissers

How do groups of Canadian youth differ in terms of their socio-demographic background, their social experiences and their political participation, and how do these factors help explain their electoral participation? The report compares Aboriginal youth to non-Aboriginal youth, visible minority youth to youth who are not members of a visible minority group, youth living in urban areas to youth living in rural areas, youth who are employed to youth who are unemployed and students, and finally youth with disabilities to youth who do not have a disability.