Survey suggests Canadians are open to mandatory service for those under 30 - as long as it’s not military

Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with members of the Canadian Armed Forces during a visit to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) 8 Wing Trenton in Trenton, Ont., on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

A recent survey suggests many Canadians are open to the idea of serving their country in some way, even if it’s mandatory. However, many aren’t keen on the idea of military service, favouring alternative civilian areas like public health or environmental support.

The Angus Reid survey, released Sunday, found that Canadians are in favour of the idea of mandatory civilian service, which would entail one year of time donated for those younger than 30 years of age.

In recent years, Germany, France, Norway and other countries have followed this model of service, the survey says.

The survey found that about seven in 10 respondents support one year of mandatory time donated in the fields of civil protection, which includes disaster response, emergency management and firefighting; public health support in hospitals and elderly care; environmental support with Parks Canada or conservation efforts; or youth services, such as tutoring and after-school programs.

However, when it came to mandatory military service, the overall results were more divisive, with 43 per cent in support of it and 44 per cent opposing it.

When it came to what specific type of mandatory service they would choose if they had to pick one, three in five (59 per cent) said civilian service, while one in five (19 per cent) said military service. One in eight (13 per cent) said neither.

There has been some discourse in recent years about how to boost military enrolment , especially as the Armed Forces experiences a shortfall in personnel recruitment.

The Angus Reid survey found that mandatory military service appeared to be favoured more by men, particularly from older generations. The largest group to support this idea was men over 60, at 39 per cent, as opposed to only two per cent of women in that same age group. Support for mandatory military service among men aged 18-29 was negative, and well as for every other age group for women.

The survey comes after a recent announcement by Prime Minister Mark Carney of an increase in pay for members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Methodology

The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from June 20 to 23, 2025, among a randomized sample of 1,619 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to region, gender, age, household income and education, based on the Canadian census. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI.