What's driving the youth vote in Canada's upcoming federal election?

With the federal election fast approaching, many young Canadians, including those in Gen Z, are gearing up to vote — some of them for the first time.  

According to Elections Canada's count of voter turnout by age group, 46.7 per cent of young electors aged 18 to 24 voted in the 2021 federal election, which is lower than any other age group. 

For federal elections, that number is calculated by the number of votes cast divided by the number of registered electors. 

Some young voters in Edmonton say the issues central to their decisions at the polls in the upcoming election are things like: the economy, the housing crisis, food prices, student debt, and the growing tensions with the United States over trade tariffs. 

Megan Reed, a 20-year-old second-year university student, is still undecided on who will get her vote. 

"I care about who has Canada's best interests in mind, especially when you have political powers imposing tariffs on Canada," she said. 

"It's really important to decide on who's going to handle these issues the most efficiently."

WATCH | What do young voters care about?

What’s driving young voters in Canada’s federal election?

27 days ago

Duration 2:06

With Canada's 45th federal election coming up, Gen Z voters are determined to make an impact, with many of them casting ballots for the first time. Their participation will play a role in determining the outcome of the election. As Elections Canada aims to engage this younger demographic, we asked young voters about the issues driving them to the polls.

Zaneb Alzubaidi, a first-time voter who plans to vote Liberal, shared similar concerns. 

"The most important thing to me is the threat from America," she said, referring to the ongoing Canada-U.S. trade tensions. 

"When Trump was making all those threats or jokes about Canada being the 51st state, Pierre Poilievre didn't say anything," Alzubaidi said. "That just made me feel a little iffy." 

Although Alzubaidi does not fully align with the Liberal Party, she says she will vote for Mark Carney, as she sees him as a better alternative than Pierre Poilievre. 

Another one of Alzubaidi's major issues is the ongoing war in Gaza.  She thinks Canada should not be getting involved in global conflicts and following the lead of the U.S.

"Trudeau has involved Canada in conflicts where we shouldn't be sticking our noses in, kind of like America. I think that Canada should try to stick to its own business." 

She also wants Canada to call for a ceasefire in the war in Gaza.

She also highlighted concerns over student debt and inflation that more and more young people are grappling with. 

"Prices are really high, and the government isn't doing anything about it." said Alzubaidi. "I don't have faith that any of them will ever forgive student debt. That would be really nice, but I don't believe they would." 

For 20-year-old Andrei Ionitescu, another first-time voter, the state of the economy is a priority in his decision to vote. 

"The housing market is in a crisis, and it's increasingly difficult to buy a house," Ionitescu said. "I prefer not to rent for the rest of my life, so I hope politicians will address the housing crisis."

He plans to vote Conservative, believing the Liberals under Justin Trudeau contributed to the current housing affordability issues. 

"I can't reconcile with the Liberals for now. After nine years, they started this housing crisis problem," he said. "I believe we need some change." 

Ionitescu said the rising cost of groceries and gas are also among the many reasons he is against the Liberal government.   

"I'm going to vote for the party that promotes businesses and economic growth," he said. 

Voter apathy high among young voters

According to Elections Canada's 2021 National Elector Survey, only 55 per cent of young voters felt very informed about when, where, and how to vote.

Youth are less likely to receive voter information cards and more likely to perceive the voting process as complicated, stating motivation and access as a challenge, said a spokesperson from Elections Canada in an email to CBC News.

Many young voters said they felt disconnected from politics, skeptical of the election process, and uncertain that their vote would make a difference. 

"Young people feel like their vote doesn't matter, especially in places like Ontario and Quebec, where the focus is on winning seats," said Ionitescu.

"If either politician wins both provinces, they don't really have to worry about the prairies, so they just end up not voting."

Reed pointed to the polarized views in political leanings among young people, especially on social media, with many being either extremely left-leaning or extremely right-leaning. 

"Young people are afraid to be publicly shunned or ridiculed for their political choices," she said. "Especially with how outspoken people are online, it's harder for younger generations to express their opinions without fear of backlash."

Reed said she would like to see more unity and understanding. 

"Especially in times of hardship and times of division, it's really important for us Canadians to all come together and be supportive of one another."

Despite low voter turnout among young voters, some experts suggest that the recent political climate has caused a shift in attitude.

"During the time that Mr. Trudeau was hanging around, young people were very disillusioned because of affordability issues," said Chaldeans Mensah, a political science professor at MacEwan University. 

"But it became very evident there was a shift with the recent anti-Canada situation. I'm confident that they will go out and vote because they see this election as very important." 

In response to low voter turnout in the 2021 federal election, Elections Canada said it is launching a targeted digital campaign until April 28, aimed at boosting voter engagement among young Canadians.

The campaign will focus on increasing awareness about voting procedures, encouraging voter registration, and driving social media interaction on platforms like Meta, X, Snapchat, and Spotify, said a spokesperson from Elections Canada.