In spring 2024, most Canadians aged 15 years and older reported feeling at least a little or somewhat hopeful about the way democracy works in Canada. When asked to think about the future, 71% said they were a little or somewhat hopeful about the way democracy works, while 12% reported being very hopeful and 17% reported being not at all hopeful.
A new study entitled, "Taking the pulse: Perceptions of democracy in Canada," uses data from the 2024 Survey Series on People and their Communities to examine Canadians' hopefulness about the way democracy works in Canada and how it varies across population groups. The study also explores how hopefulness is associated with trust in information sources, confidence in institutions and participation in political activities.
People who are more hopeful about the way democracy works in Canada are more likely to report high levels of confidence in institutions
In 2024, respondents who were very hopeful about the way democracy works in Canada were more likely to report feeling high confidence in the federal parliament (67%) than those who were a little or somewhat hopeful (38%), while those who were not at all hopeful were less likely to report feeling high confidence (11%).
Similar patterns were observed for confidence in the Canadian media, the school system, the justice system and courts, banks and major corporations.
People who are not at all hopeful about the way democracy works in Canada are less likely to report high levels of trust in information sources
In 2024, Canadians who were very hopeful about the way democracy works in Canada were more likely to report feeling high trust in news outlets (59%) than those who were a little or somewhat hopeful (43%), while those who were not at all hopeful were the least likely to report feeling high trust (17%).
Similar patterns were observed for trust in government communications (across levels of government) and scientific sources. People who were more hopeful about democracy consistently reported higher levels of trust in these information sources than people who were less hopeful. In contrast, levels of trust in close personal contacts and other Internet sources were similar across the three groups.
Voting rates are similar across levels of hopefulness about the way democracy works in Canada
In 2024, reported voting rates for the 2021 federal election were similar regardless of respondents' level of hopefulness about the way democracy works in Canada. However, differences emerged for other forms of political participation. People who were not at all hopeful (57%) were more likely to report participating in one or more other political activities in the previous 12 months than those who were a little or somewhat hopeful (44%) or very hopeful (44%).
People who were not at all hopeful about democracy were more likely to sign a petition (27%) and search for information on a political issue (47%) than those who were a little or somewhat hopeful (17% for signing a petition; 32% for searching for information on a political issue). People who were not at all hopeful about democracy were also more likely to boycott or choose a product for ethical reasons (26%) compared with those who were very hopeful (15%).
Note to readers
Hopefulness about the future was assessed using the following question: "Thinking about the future in Canada, how hopeful are you about the way democracy works in Canada?" The scale included very hopeful, somewhat hopeful, a little hopeful and not at all hopeful.
Trust in information sources was assessed using the following question: "On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 means 'Cannot be trusted at all' and 5 means 'Can be trusted completely,' what is your level of trust in each of the following (close contacts; federal government communications; provincial, territorial or municipal government communications; scientific experts or peer-reviewed journals; news organizations; social media posts by other users; other Internet sources) as a source of reliable news or information?" High trust in an information source corresponds to a score of 4 or 5.
Confidence in institutions was assessed using the following question: "Using a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 means 'No confidence at all' and 5 means 'A great deal of confidence,' please answer the following questions. How much confidence do you have in the following institutions (the police, the justice system and courts, the school system, the Federal Parliament, banks, major corporations)?" High confidence in an institution corresponds to a score of 4 or 5.
Voting behaviour and political participation were assessed using self-declared responses to the following questions: "Did you vote in the last federal election?" and "In the past 12 months, have you done any of the following activities (searched for information on a political issue; volunteered for a political party; expressed your views on an issue by contacting a newspaper or a politician; expressed your views on a political or social issue through an Internet forum or news website; signed a petition on paper or on the Internet; boycotted or chosen a product for ethical reasons; attended a public meeting; spoken out at a public meeting; participated in a demonstration or march; worn a badge, T-shirt or displayed a lawn sign in support of or opposition to a political or social cause; did not participate in any of these activities)?"
Canadians refers to all people living in Canada, regardless of citizenship status.
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The article titled "Taking the pulse: Perceptions of democracy in Canada" is now available in Insights on Canadian Society (Catalogue number75-006-X).
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