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Young Canadians, over every other demographic, are dissatisfied with Canada as a country: study

FILE-Voters line up outside a voting station to cast their ballot in the Toronto's municipal election in Toronto on Monday, October 22, 2018. It's voting day in Ontario, with municipal and school board elections set to take place across the province.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Younger Canadians have the least hope in the nation’s political institutions and lowest overall view of the country, out of all age groups, a new study says. 

Canadians from 18 to 34 years of age report the lowest level of satisfaction with Canada, with an average score of 5.8 out of ten. The average among Canadians who feel satisfied with the country is 6.6 out of ten, according to the Nanos Research national surveys.

Older Canadians, over the age of 55, report the highest satisfaction level at 7.2 out of 10.

Nanos Research is a Canadian public opinion and research company. Recent Nanos data reveals 64 per cent say they are pleased with Canada overall in 2023 which is a 10 per cent decrease from 2021, when 74 per cent of Canadian respondents expressed satisfaction with the nation. 

READ MORE: The best cities for students in the country were revealed and a city in Ontario ranks first

In the 2015 federal election, 18 to 24-year-old voters increased by 18.3 percentage points to 57.1 per cent from 38.8 per cent in 2011.

“It shouldn’t be a surprise that younger Canadians are less satisfied with Canada as a country. With rising interest rates, difficulty in paying the rent or a mortgage and struggling to pay for groceries, we are in an environment where the young – usually the most positive and hopeful – are now the most negative and pessimistic,” Nik Nanos, Nanos research chair, told Now Toronto.

The study also found that education and the health system remain top contributors to Canada being a better country. 

Canada’s universities and colleges, with a 7.3 average, and Canada’s health system, with a 7.0 average, rank as top major contributors in increasing Canada’s overall score as a country. 

This study’s results were conducted between Jan. 27 and 30, among 1,054 people in Canada. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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