Portrait of youth in Canada: Data report
Chapter 6: Political participation, civic engagement and caregiving among youth in Canada
This chapter provides a broad overview of the political and civic engagement of youth in Canada. It specifically focuses on youth political participation, including voter turnout and non-electoral political activities. It also examines other dimensions of engagement such as participating in groups, organizations and associations, formal and informal volunteering, as well as unpaid caregiving to family members and friends.
Data for this chapter are taken from three different General Social Survey (GSS) cycles: the 2020 GSS on Social Identity, the 2018 GSS on Giving, Volunteering and Participating, and the 2018 GSS on Caregiving and Care Receiving.
Chapter 5: Youth and the environment
Environmental issues are a priority for young people in Canada—and their actions often reflect this priority. For example, youth aged 15 to 30 make 5% of their total donations to environmental organizations (vs. 2% to 3% among older Canadians), and dedicate 7% of their volunteer hours to environmental organizations (vs. 3% to 6% among older Canadians). Youth tend to live in more walkable but less “green” neighbourhoods and use sustainable transportation to get to work more often than older adults (46% vs. 28%). This chapter provides an overview of how youth in Canada interact with and live in their environment. Data are taken from the 2016 Census of Population, the 2016 General Social Survey on Canadians at Work and Home, the 2018 General Social Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating, the 2019 Households and the Environment Survey, and other published reports.
Chapter 4: Indigenous Youth in Canada
Indigenous people represent one of the youngest populations in Canada. On average, Indigenous people were 8.4 years younger than the non-Indigenous population in 2016. Youth aged 15 to 24 years make up one sixth of the entire Indigenous population (16.9%). This chapter examines the demographic, familial, educational, economic, health and cultural characteristics of Indigenous youth aged 15 to 24. Data are largely taken from the 2016 Census of Population and the 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey.
Chapter 3: Youth and Education in Canada
This chapter provides a broad overview of the education situation of Canadian youth. It focuses on the general level of education for young Canadians, as well as on which groups are driving the rise in educational attainment. The chapter also examines the literacy and numeracy skills of young Canadians and how they compare with their counterparts in other OECD countries. Finally, it looks at some of the costs and benefits of a postsecondary education in Canada, including how such an education has been rewarded in the labour market.
Chapter 2: Youth employment in Canada
This chapter examines, using key indicators, how young Canadians are faring in the labour market. It examines the types of jobs they hold and the pay they receive, and provides information about which groups were doing well in 2019 before the pandemic. The chapter also makes comparisons with older Canadians, provides trends over the last four decades, and highlights some of the short-term consequences that COVID-19 has had on youth employment. When possible, labour market indicators are examined by sex, education and immigrant status.
Chapter 1: Health of youth in Canada
In order to examine how Canadian youth are doing, this publication brings together and analyzes a wide range of data sources. The chapters provide information on various important aspects of their lives, including their mental and physical health, labour market participation, education, social participation, the environment and demographic issues. A chapter is dedicated to Indigenous youth, in recognition of the distinct challenges they face.
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