Quote:
“My vote won’t make any difference.”
It’s a common refrain among those who don’t bother to cast ballots in Canadian elections.
But a new analysis of young non-voters in the last federal election suggests they should think again.
If young people had turned out to vote in the same numbers as the population overall in 2011, pollster Nik Nanos says his research suggests they would have changed not just the outcome of the election but the tone and content of the political debate.
Just over 60 per cent of eligible voters actually cast ballots in 2011. Among those under 30, fewer than 40 per cent bothered to vote.
Working with Kevin Page, the former parliamentary budget officer, on a project aimed at engaging youth in the political process, Nanos has mined data from his daily polling during the 2011 campaign as well as research done for the Institute for Research on Public Policy to answer the question: What if 60 per cent of young people had voted?
His answer: Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives likely wouldn’t have won a majority.
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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle17626467/
Voting rates by age
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-001-.../cg00a-eng.htm
Voting rates by age and education
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-001-.../cg00b-eng.htm
Even though the above article suggests that if young people (those 18-30) voted in higher numbers, the political landscape in Canada would likely change, I suggest that its not that simple. As of 2011 42.4% of the Canadian population was between 45-64 years of age and seniors accounted for 14.8% of the population. Thus those 45 years and older accounted for 57.2% of Canada population in 2011.
I believe that the middle aged and seniors tend to vote conservative (although I couldn't find data to back that up... but I'm sure its out there)
http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recen...011001-eng.cfm