Executive Summary
The Employment Program Policy and Design Branch is developing a new service strategy for Canadian youth. The main goal of this new strategy is to create a seamless service that meets the specific needs of young people and involves all federal departments and agencies in a horizontal approach.
This document offers a look at Canadian youth demographics and trends. It is one of the foundation pieces for the first phase of the new strategy as it provides a profile of the client group. The document has two main objectives:
- to support the development of a service strategy for young Canadians; and
- to foster a better understanding of Canada's youth population (demographic factors, young people's attitudes and behaviour, youth trends).
The information deals primarily with young Canadians aged 15 to 30 and comes from various sources, including the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, Youth in Transition Survey, Health Behaviours in School-Aged Children, Statistics Canada Census, Labour Force Survey, Juristat, The Daily and CANSIM.
Overall demographic profile and trends
Between 1993 and 2003, Canada's youth population increased by 7%. In 2003, there were slightly more than 4 million Canadians between the ages of 15 and 24, representing about 14% of the total Canadian population. In 2001, 99% of young people spoke at least one of Canada's two official languages. Of these, 63% spoke only English, 11% spoke only French and 25% were bilingual. While the youth population has increased in recent years, Statistics Canada expects numbers to decline in the near future. In fact, it is estimated that the percentage of young people in Canada will drop to 11% by 2021 and 10% by 2051.
In 2001, the majority of young Canadians lived in Ontario and Quebec (61%). It has been noted recently that young people are leaving the family home later in life. This may be due in large part to more and more young people pursuing post-secondary studies and feeling more uncertain about the changing labour market.
Many of the young people who have left the family home live in apartments. In 1996 and 2001, twice as many young people under the age of 30 were renters than owners. In 2001, renters under the age of 30 spent an average of $7,740 per year on housing.
Education
In 2000-2001, approximately half of the youth aged 15 to 29 attended an educational institution. In 2001, 60% of young people aged 25 to 29 had earned a post-secondary diploma. According to Statistics Canada, college and university graduates have the same chance of finding employment, although university graduates often earn more.
In the 1990s, the school drop-out rate decreased by one-third among 20-year-olds, demonstrating that more young Canadians are continuing their education. According to some studies, several factors can influence young people's decision to leave school or continue their education: family environment, grades, participation and interest in school, marital or parental status, employment, friends, educational goals and work. Young people also stated that financial difficulties were the main obstacle to post-secondary education. In 2003, young people spent approximately $9,740 annually on post-secondary studies. The number of young people who had to borrow to continue their studies and the amount borrowed have both increased since 1980.
Employment
Making young people aware of the importance of post-secondary education has become a major issue in recent years. It is estimated that about 70% of the jobs created in the coming years will require some type of post-secondary education. Young people with less education will therefore have less access to the labour market.
In 2003, 67% of young people were in the labour market and 14% were unemployed. It is often difficult to trace young people's transition from the school system to the labour market because they are frequently involved in both at the same time. Most young people have tried to balance work and school at one time or another. Students must often take part-time jobs while pursuing their studies. In 2003, 72% of young people worked part-time while going to school.
Income
In 2000, 769,205 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 lived in a low-income household (based on before-tax income), representing a decrease of 15% since 1995. In 2001, most young people had an income below $10,000. The average income was $10,182, which represented an increase of nearly $1,000 since 1995. However, in 2002, young people between the ages of 18 and 24 still represented the largest low-income group in Canada (22%).
The wage gap between young men and women appears similar to that of other age groups. On average, young men earn more than young women. However, the gap narrows when young women have a post-secondary education.
Lastly, young people with a post-secondary education have a higher income. The income of college and university graduates has also risen in recent years. This could reflect an increased demand for more highly educated young people.
Health
In general, young Canadians consider themselves to be in good health, young men more so than young women. They also encounter less stress than older persons and, as may be anticipated, have the lowest mortality rate. The mortality rate is higher for young men than young women. Accidents and suicides account for the main causes of death among youth. The suicide rate is five to six times higher for Aboriginal youth.
Although young people have the fewest health problems, they are still more likely to participate in high-risk behaviour: 1) in 2003, 20% of the population aged 15 and older were regular smokers (a slight decrease since 2002); 2) in 1998-1999, nearly half of the youth population drank alcohol regularly (males more so than females); 3) in 1999, marijuana and hashish were the most popular drugs among young people (males more so than females). It was also noted that consumption of these drugs increased with age; 4) lastly, in 1999 and 2000, young people were more likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD), although a slight decrease in this trend was noted.
The Justice System
A high percentage of young people have contact with the justice system, either as offenders or victims.
In 2002, young people between the ages of 15 and 18 were more likely than older persons to commit violent crimes or property offences. That same year, however, there was a decrease in violent crimes and property offences among young people. Over the past 20 years, crimes against the justice system have increased the most (e.g. breach of conditions, failure to report).
In 2002-2003, Canadian youth courts handled 84,600 cases, representing a 20% decrease. Seventy-seven percent of the persons accused were young men. In 2002-2003, 60% of the cases handled by youth courts resulted in convictions.
It was noted that age was the biggest factor in whether a person was a victim of crime. In 1999, young people between the ages of 15 and 24 had a greater risk of being the victims of crime than other age groups.
Community Involvement
It has been noted that young people have significantly lower rates of voter participation than older groups. In 2000, voter participation among young people aged 18 to 20 was only 22%. However, voter participation does not seem to increase as population groups age. Furthermore, each subsequent generation seems to be even less interested in elections.
Young people's lack of interest in politics is not a problem unique to Canada. It affects other countries as well. An international study conducted in nine countries shows that education and age are two socio-economic factors that influence young people's decision whether or not to vote.
Young People with Disabilities
In 2001, 12% of Canadians stated that they had a disability. The main types of disability among young people involved activity limitations resulting from pain, learning disabilities and mobility problems. In 2001, 51% of disabled youth had not completed secondary school, slightly more than those without a disability (42%).
That same year, 151,030 young people with disabilities were of working age. Fifty-three percent of young people with disabilities who no longer attended an educational institution were in the labour market and 14% were unemployed.
Aboriginal Youth
In 2001, about 50% of the Aboriginal population was under the age of 25; 80% of these young people spoke English as a mother tongue, and 4% spoke English, French and an Aboriginal language. There are many issues related to the high percentage of Aboriginal youth living in Canada. Several studies show that young Aboriginals face more challenges than other young people in the same age group in Canada.
While the number of Aboriginals who complete their education has risen in recent years, only 13% had some type of post-secondary education in 2001. In general, young Aboriginals have less education than other youth. The main reasons that young people give for not completing their studies are boredom, work, pregnancy or the need to care for a child. Except for those who have a university degree, young Aboriginals often face more disadvantages in labour force participation as compared to other young people with the same level of education.
In 2001, 49% of young Aboriginals were in the labour market and 36% of this group were employed. In 2000, the annual average income of young Aboriginals was $8,119. In 2001, 31% of young Aboriginals were considered to be in the low-income bracket.
Lastly, a high crime rate has been noted among young Aboriginals. While they accounted for only 5% of Canada's youth population in 2001-2002, they represented 25% of remand admissions, 22% sentenced custody admissions, 17% of probation admissions and 16% of alternative measures cases.
Young Immigrants
In 2001, about 470,000 young immigrants between the ages of 15 and 24 lived in Canada. Approximately two-thirds of these young people lived in Toronto, Vancouver or Montréal. One of the major challenges immigrants face when coming to live in a new country is a lack of communication skills. Most of the young, recently arrived immigrants speak English. In 2001, 78% of them spoke English, 3% spoke French and 18% were bilingual.
In 2001, 70% of new arrivals between the ages of 15 and 24 attended school. In general, young immigrants have a similar level of education as young Canadians. In 2001, 39% had not completed secondary school, 25% had some type of post-secondary education, 8% had a college or vocational school diploma, and 7% had a university degree. In 2001, 55% of young immigrants were in the labour market and 14.8% were unemployed. The average employment income for immigrant youth was $9,454.
Lastly, some studies show that it generally takes young immigrants 10 years to feel completely at ease in their new country and achieve an average level of income.
Attitudes Toward Government Services
Young people are positive about the future and the Government of Canada. However, are not engaged on government issues, do not know much about the Government, and say government messages do not get across to them.
In 2002, 70% of young people felt that the federal government did not understand what they wanted and 62% felt that the government did not communicate its programs and services effectively with youth. Some specific initiatives such as the Youth Employment Strategy have proven to be successful. The topics young adults most want to hear about are: finding a job, acquiring skills and learning, health care, national security issues, Canada's role in international conflict and race relations. Young people also place a great deal of importance on cultural diversity.
Lastly, young people would like the federal government to be seen as innovative, forward-looking and open to change. They wanted the government to have a human face and to be honest, transparent, accessible and willing to improve.
|
