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Youth Engagement and Mobilization in the 2010 Toronto Municipal Election

Executive Summary

This report presents the findings of a mixed-methods research project undertaken by Apathy is Boring during the 2010 Toronto municipal election. The report focuses on the electoral engagement patterns of youth in Toronto, as well as the nature and impact of youth mobilization initiatives. The key findings include the following:

  • There are substantive differences in engagement among youth that are linked to residential and lifestyle factors, such as living with a parent or living in the city centre.
  • Most youth do not recall receiving a voter information card, which implies they are either not registered or inaccurately registered as voters. The likelihood of receiving these cards is tied to residential patterns, so that certain groups are more likely to be missed.
  • Commuters in the amalgamated suburbs face significant barriers to voting because of opening hours of polling stations for municipal elections.
  • There is a relationship between unsolicited mobilization activity – specifically, being contacted by a candidate – and voting in the election.
  • Organizations invest a significant amount of effort into organizing election debates, yet these do not appear to be particularly effective at reaching or mobilizing unengaged youth.
  • Organizations seeking to mobilize youth are modifying resources from elections agencies to better suit their needs. There is also a clear need for outreach resources with information about candidates and their platforms.
  • The non-partisanship policies of government agencies appear to cause concern among partner organizations and may contribute to limiting mobilization activity.
  • Community and non-profit organizations responded positively to Toronto Elections' youth initiative and want to see more comprehensive youth mobilization in future elections.

Pursuant to these findings, the report includes a series of research and outreach recommendations that all stakeholders – including community organizations, outreach workers, candidates and election agencies – can use to better engage young voters.

Acknowledgements

Apathy is Boring would like to express our appreciation to Elections Canada for supporting research into youth electoral engagement in Canada, including this project.

Apathy is Boring would also like to thank the City of Toronto for its partnership in this project. The city made a significant commitment to reach youth during the 2010 municipal election. Toronto Elections brought together a network of partner organizations seeking to engage youth, connected us with those organizations for interviews and helped promote our survey to youth across Toronto. This research would not have been possible without their cooperation and support. Apathy is Boring also wishes to specifically express our appreciation to Monika Matel-Sousa and Carole Boughannam for their assistance.

Apathy is Boring would also like to thank André Blais, Delia Dumitrescu and Peter Loewen for contributing their time and expertise to this project.

And finally, we would like to thank all of the organizations that participated in and helped support this project, including:

  • ArtsVote
  • Centennial College Student Association
  • Malvern Action for Neighbourhood Change
  • Malvern Family Resource Centre
  • Malvern Votes
  • Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants
  • Operation Black Vote
  • Ryerson Students' Union
  • Scadding Court Community Centre
  • Scarborough Campus Students' Union
  • Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities
  • Scarborough Civic Action Network
  • Schools Without Borders
  • Seneca College
  • Student Association of George Brown College
  • Toronto Community Housing
  • Toronto Public Library
  • Toronto Youth Priority Symposium
  • University of Toronto Centre for Community Partnerships
  • University of Toronto, Hart House
  • University of Toronto Office of Government, Institutional and Community Relations
  • University of Toronto Students' Union
  • Youth Action Network

About Apathy is Boring

Apathy is Boring is a national charitable organization that uses art and technology to educate youth about democracy.

Apathy is Boring accomplishes its work through four program areas:

  • Concerts and events that create an opportunity for dialogue between community leaders and youth on issues of concern to young people;
  • A Youth Friendly program comprised of workshops, tools and resources to engage youth in decision-making and educate decision-makers about how to engage youth;
  • Web sites (Apathy is Boring and Citizen Factory) that provide youth with information on how to get involved;
  • Election campaigns that reach out to youth and give them the information they need to cast an informed vote.

Apathy is Boring aims to reach Canadians aged 18–35 who are currently unengaged in the democratic process. The work Apathy is Boring does is critical and noteworthy because it is the only youth-led, non-partisan, year-round, Canadian charitable organization that offers educational resources and programming tailored to young people about how they can become active citizens. Apathy is Boring has distinguished itself as a leader by reaching hundreds of thousands of young Canadians since 2004.