A Portrait of Canadian Youth: March 2019 Updates

Today's youth are unlike any generation before!

They are more:

• Diverse
• Connected
• Socially Engaged
• Educated

Many youth are reaping the benefits but others face challenges such as...

• finding a full time job
• social exclusion
• cyberbullying
• mental health challenges and addiction
• higher risk of being obese

Also important to think about today's youth within the entire life course.

It is important to remember that today's youth will become Canada's future parents, prime-age workers, and seniors. Their early experiences and vulnerabilities can shape their outcomes later in life.

Canadian youth in numbers

There are over 7 million youth across the country, aged 15 to 29.

In July 2018, 15-29 year-olds represented 19.2% of the country's population. Medium growth population projections suggest that this proportion will fall to 18% by 2035.

Between 2008 and 2018, the number of youth aged 25 to 29 increased the most. The number of youth aged 15 to 19 declined.

Did you know?

Similar to other countries, Canada's youth represent a smaller share of the population than in the past.

Youth's share of the population highest in Western Canada and the North

Youth are highly diverse

In 2016, 27% of youth aged 15 to 30 were identified as members of a visible minority group, compared with 13% in 1996.

Did you know?

Almost 74% of youth have friends from another ethnic group.

In 2016, 5.4% of youth aged 15 to 30 identified as Black, compared with 2.5% in 1996.

There were slightly more Black females (51.6%) than Black males.

Toronto, Montréal and Ottawa-Gatineau are the CMAs with the highest Black populations.

In 2016, 76% of youth in Toronto were immigrants (1st generation) or had at least one parent who is an immigrant (2nd generation).

The number of young Indigenous people is growing

From 2006 to 2016, the number of First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth aged 15 to 30 increased by 39%, compared to just over 5% for non-Indigenous youth.

More youth are living with their parents

In 2016, 57% of youth aged 15 to 30, were living with their parents, which is practically unchanged from 56% in 2001.

However, the largest increase was for youth aged 27 to 30 years old. 22% were living with their parents in 2016 compared to 18% in 2001. This varied significantly by CMA.

Youth are more connected than any other generation

• Nearly 100% of youth aged 15 to 30 use the Internet on a daily basis or own their own smartphone – broadly similar across all provinces and across all household income groups.
• 77% of youth aged 15 to 30 use the Internet to follow news and current affairs.
• One half of youth aged 25 to 30 conduct transactions on the Internet at least weekly – almost twice that of older Canadians.
• 93% of youth aged 15 to 30 use social networking sites.

But higher technology use also brings new challenges

17% of youth aged 15 to 30 said they were cyberbullied or cyberstalked in the past 5 years.

Youth are less likely to vote but are still socially and civically engaged

Giving, volunteering and participating

• 67% of 15 to 30 years olds are members of a group, organization or association, compared with 65% for the overall Canadian population.
• 48% of youth aged 15 to 30 volunteer.
• 71% of those aged 15 to 30 said they gave to a charitable or non-profit organization.
• 45% of youth aged 15 to 30 have confidence in Canadian Parliament, compared with 38% for the general population.

Did you know?

The proportion of young people aged 15 to 30 who stated that they rarely or never followed news and current affairs almost doubled, from 12% in 2003 to 23% in 2013.

Youth aged 15 to 30 contribute 23% of all volunteer hours in Canada.

Youth participate actively in sports, arts and cultural activities

Youth are more educated than ever

• 97% of 15 year olds attend school
• 5% of 21 year olds enroll in apprenticeship programs
• 24% of 19 year olds in college
• 36% of 21 year olds at university

Did you know?

A large gap in postsecondary enrolment remains between youth from lower and higher income families. Non-financial factors, such as academic performance and parental education, play a significant role.

In 2016, 9% of men and 5% of women aged 25 to 34 had not completed high school, compared to 22% and 19%, respectively, in 1990. In 2011, 31% of Indigenous men and 25% of Indigenous women had not completed high school.

Young men and women continue to enter different types of programs and fields of study

Did you know?

Literacy and numeracy scores are higher among 15 to 29 year olds than any other age group.

Lifetime earnings vary considerably across educational attainment and fields of study

Among youth from the early 1990s, average cumulative earnings through their thirties and forties were over $700,000 higher among men with a bachelor's degree than among men with a high school diploma. Among women, the difference was $442,000.

These results varied significantly by field of study:

• Men with an engineering degree made over 50% more than men with a degree in the humanities.
• Women in mathematics, physical sciences and business administration made 25% more than women in the social sciences.

Costs of education have increased and many graduates continue to be burdened with debt

• Average tuition fees for full-time Canadian undergraduate students increased faster than the rate of inflation over the last decade.
• Average tuition fees for full-time Canadian undergraduate students are lowest in Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec, and highest in Ontario and Nova Scotia.
• 53% of youth aged 15 to 30 years graduating with a bachelor's degree have student debts, similar to the early 2000s.

Fewer young men in full-time or permanent jobs...resulting in lower earnings at the middle and lower end of the earnings distribution

Did you know?

The percentage of young women employed full-time rose because of their growing labour force participation.

Did you know?

Young men and women at the top of the earnings distribution are faring better than ever.

Did you know?

In contrast to young men, young women have significantly increased their annual hours of work and moved to better-paid occupations, resulting in higher cumulative earnings.

Some of the occupations in which youth are working

Among employed women aged 15 to 30...

• ...about 19% worked in professional occupations such as nurses, teachers and accountants.
• ...about 14% worked in technical and paraprofessional occupations such as paralegals and health technicians.
• ...about 14% worked in administrative occupations such as office administrators.
• ...about 28% worked in personal and customer service occupations, such as food and beverage servers and information services representatives.
• ...about 19% worked in sales occupations, such as cashiers and retail salespersons.

Among employed men aged 25 to 34...

• ...about 13% worked in professional occupations such as computers and IT professionals, accountants and engineers.
• ...about 9% worked in technical and paraprofessional occupations such as computer tech support, firefighters and police officers.
• ...about 15% worked in industrial and construction occupations, such as electricians, carpenters and mechanics.
• ...about 18% worked in personal and customer service occupations, such as cooks and food and beverage servers.
• ...about 15% worked in sales occupations, such as retail salespersons and store shelf stockers, clerks and order fillers.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2018 Labour Force Survey.

Some groups are more likely to be overqualified than others

Low-income rates among Canadians aged 25 to 30

Did you know?

In 2014, 6.6% of young Canadians aged 15 to 30 reported that they had ever temporarily lived with family, friends, in their car, or anywhere else because they had nowhere else to live – a situation referred to as 'hidden' or 'concealed' homelessness.

Homeownership among youth recently declined for the first time in 20 years

• Homeownership among younger adults aged 20 to 29 remained significantly lower than for older Canadians.
• Between 2006 and 2016, homeownership rates declined across all age groups, except for those aged 65 years old and over. This follows several decades of gradual increase. The decline was largest for younger adults, particularly over the past 5 years.
• Coincides with other broader trends such as the rising share of youth who are living with their parents, delays in starting a family, and the increase in housing costs.

One-quarter of youth with severe disability say they have been refused a job because of their condition

Did you know?

887,730 youth aged 15 to 30 – or 13% – report that they have a disability (whether it be physical, sensory, cognitive, or mental health-related).

Youth aged 15 to 30 are more likely to report that they experienced discrimination

Did you know?

In 2016, 16% of young men and 12% of young women reported experiencing at least one aspect of social isolation. Results were broadly similar across all youth and compared with older adults.

Some young men and women face serious mental health problems

• Rates of mood disorder are highest among youth aged 15 to 30 compared to other age groups: young women in particular have the highest rate (12%).
• Approximately 60% of youth who have experienced mood disorder have also had suicidal thoughts in their lifetime.
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth aged 15 to 29.
  • 15.7 deaths per 100,000 for young men
  • 6.7 deaths per 100,000 for young women
• Approximately half (53%) of youth with depression or suicidal thoughts have sought professional support.

Sources: Statistics Canada, 2014 Vital Statistics and 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health.

Indigenous youth are particularly at risk for poor mental health

• 15.4% of off-reserve First Nations and 18.5% of Metis youth aged 15 to 30 report having a mood disorder.
• Rates of acute care hospitalizations for intentional self-harm are high among Aboriginal youth age 15 to 30.
  • 64 per 100,000 for First Nations youth living on-reserve
  • 42 per 100,000 for First Nations youth living off-reserve
  • 20 per 100,000 for Metis youth
  • 90 per 100,000 for Inuit youth

Sources: Statistics Canada, 2015-2017 Canadian Community Health Survey, 2011 National Household Survey; and CIHI 2011-2016 Discharge Abstract Database.

High rates of obesity and physical inactivity put youth at risk for heart disease later in life

The share of youth 15-30 who are overweight or obese increased significantly since the late 1970s–from 24% to about 40% in the early 2000s. The share has remained stable over the last decade.

Youth are also not meeting physical activity guidelines–only 1 in 5 are meeting the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week.

Only 22% of young men and 32% of young women (aged 15-30) consume the recommended 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

These factors are potentially putting youth at risk of cardiovascular disease later in life.

Based on a new CanHeart Index which measures risk factors for heart disease including diet, weight and physical activity, approximately 1 in 4 youth aged 20-29 rank as having poor heart health.

Sources: Statistics Canada, 2017 Canadian Community Health Survey, 2014-2015 Canadian Health Measures Survey and 1978 Canadian Health Survey.

Drinking, smoking, and cannabis use by young people have generally declined...but new challenges are emerging

• Smoking rates for both young men and women have dropped significantly since the early 2000s.
• Heavy drinking by young men has also declined, but has increased for young women.
• While cannabis use is still generally higher among youth compared to older Canadians, it has generally decreased for youth.

Today's youth are dealing with the challenges of new drugs and addictions

• Opioid-related hospitalization rates rise fastest among youth.
• Rate of hospital based opioid events increased by 27% in the last 5 years (CIHI, 2018).
• Rates of opioid related hospitalizations are up to 5 times higher among Indigenous youth and 2 times higher among lower income households.

Opioid hospitalizations by income

Did you know?

Daily or occasional smoking dropped from 31% of young men aged 15 to 30 in 2003 to about one fifth in 2017. For young women, about 14% reported smoking in 2017 compared to 26% in 2003. Heavy drinking for males aged 15 to 30 was 31% in 2017, down from almost 40% in 2003. Heavy drinking for young women increased from 19% in 2003 to 24% in 2017.

Youth are more likely to commit crimes...but also more likely to be victims of violent crimes

Not the end of the story... let's talk

• Canada's youth continue to be a large and important group within the Canadian population.
• They are more diverse, educated, and connected and socially engaged than past youth, and in many ways are well positioned to succeed in today's complex global society.
• In many ways they are very different from younger generations before them…and from their parents and grandparents today.
• But not all young people are sharing these benefits. Some youth are unemployed or are in temporary jobs. Some are struggling with mental health challenges, addictions, and homelessness. And not everyone feels included.