A new Statistics Canada study revealed that only 12 per cent of respondents were “very hopeful” about democracy, while 17 per cent were “not at all hopeful.” The remaining 71 per cent of respondents were a little or somewhat hopeful about the future of democracy. The survey also asked Canadians about their confidence in institutions and political engagement. More likely to be politically active Of the Canadians who reported being not at all hopeful about democracy, StatCan found those respondents were more likely to sign petitions and research political issues. The survey also showed that 26 per cent of the least hopeful were likely to boycott or choose products based on ethical reasons, compared to 15 per cent of the most hopeful. One category that came out even across all levels of hopefulness was voting rates, according to the data. Regardless of how much hope respondents had about democracy, voting rates for the 2021 federal election were similar across the board. However, the least hopeful Canadians were more likely to report participation in other political activities. Less trust in information sources StatCan’s study showed that Canadians who had the least hope about the way democracy works were less likely to trust news outlets. The study said only 17 per cent of respondents who were not at all hopeful had a high feeling of trust. Canadians who were more hopeful about democracy were more likely to trust information sources. Fifty-nine per cent of the most hopeful respondents reported high trust in news outlets, while 43 per cent who were a little or somewhat hopeful had a high feeling of trust. The study noted similar patterns of trust in government communication and scientific sources. People who were more hopeful about democracy reported higher levels of trust in these sources than those were less hopeful. When it came to trust in close personal contacts and other Internet sources, levels of trust were similar across all groups. More trust in institutions The data showed that respondents who were very hopeful about democracy were more likely to report high confidence in federal parliament, at 67 per cent. While only 11 per cent of the least hopeful respondents reported a feeling of high confidence. The survey found similar trends for institutions such as the school system, justice system, courts, banks, major corporations and Canadian media. About the study The study titled, “Taking the pulse: Perceptions of democracy in Canada,” used data from a 2024 survey of people 15 and older. The survey asked Canadians about their hopefulness in how democracy works in the country. The study also examined trust in information sources and institutions, as well as participation in political activities. According to StatCan, ‘hopefulness about the future’ was analyzed by asking this question: “Thinking about the future in Canada, how hopeful are you about the way democracy works in Canada?” Respondents could answer very hopeful, somewhat hopeful, a little hopeful and not at all hopeful.
