Can You Hear Me Now? Young People and the 2015 Federal Election

In the weeks after the October 19th, 2015 general election, Samara Canada surveyed Canadians about how they experienced the recent electoral campaign. The survey responses were analyzed by age–18 to 29; 30 to 55; 56 and older–and debunk the myth of apathetic youth.

Key Findings

• Compared to older people, younger people were more likely to discuss politics, with 72% of them saying they discussed politics using one or more methods. Young people reported talking about politics offline more than online.
• Young people were also more likely to share that they voted, indicating a generational shift in attitude, from voting as a private act of duty to voting as a social, shared experience.
• Parties did not contact young people as much as they did older people: Only 52% of young Canadians reported contact, compared with 82% of the oldest cohort. Even online, older people reported more contact from political parties. Only 22% of people of any age reported digital contact from parties and candidates. 
• Only 1 in 5 Canadians didn't want to be contacted by political parties. When contacted, they’d prefer to talk about issues than about why they should vote for a certain candidate. 

Conclusions

Apathetic? Not So Much: Young people can no longer be considered politically apathetic. They’re concerned about issues and they want to talk about politics. (And a majority of them voted in the federal election—a 15 percentage point jump since 2011.) 

Parties Should Reach Out To Young Voters: Now that young voters have proven that they can turn out to vote, parties should improve their use of traditional outreach methods and digital platforms to better reach young Canadians. 

Don't Count On Digital Alone: Young, digital natives are still looking for an in person connection to politics. 

Multiplier Effect: Young Canadians are more likely than any other age group to share their voting experience with their social network. To get their message out widely, smart parties can capitalize on young peoples’ desire to share. 

‍What Matters to You: Canadians, including young Canadians, want parties to ask about which issues are important to them. This is something parties can do even between elections.