A new survey shows young Canadians are increasingly lukewarm on traditional democratic norms, yet remain firm defenders of civil liberties.
Younger Canadians are becoming less committed to traditional democratic norms and more tolerant of political leaders who bend the rules, according to a new report published by the Environics Institute for Survey Research and Vanderbilt University’s LAPOP Lab.
The study, titled Support for democracy among younger Canadians, highlights a growing generational gap in attitudes toward government and executive authority.
While 72 per cent of Canadians aged 60 and older strongly agree that democracy is preferable to any other form of government, that figure drops to 41 per cent among adults aged 18 to 29.
Rather than actively embracing authoritarianism, younger adults are more likely to express political indifference. Twenty-two per cent of young respondents said it does not matter to them whether a government is democratic or non-democratic, compared to seven per cent of seniors.
Tolerance for rule-breaking by political leaders is also noticeably higher among younger cohorts. Thirty-eight per cent of Canadians aged 18 to 29 agree that it is justifiable for politicians to act outside the law to deliver on promises, compared to 11 per cent of those aged 60 and older.
Additionally, 23 per cent of young adults believe governments should be allowed to censor critical media outlets, and 23 per cent say prime ministers should be able to ignore court decisions they view as unfair.
Disaffection with elected officials is widespread among younger demographics, with 67 per cent reporting that half or more of politicians in Canada are involved in corruption.
Despite their skepticism toward political institutions, young Canadians remain the country’s strongest defenders of personal freedoms. Sixty-two per cent of adults aged 18 to 29 said police must respect civil rights even if criminals escape arrest, compared to 46 per cent of Canadians aged 60 and older.
Economic pressures also loom large for younger cohorts. Twenty-seven per cent of young adults reported running out of food in the previous three months due to a lack of money, while 35 per cent described the national economic situation as bad or very bad, up from 16 per cent in 2019.
The report notes similar generational trends in the United States, where 33 per cent of young adults strongly agree that democracy is the best form of government, compared to 68 per cent of seniors.
The Canadian findings are based on an online survey of 3,550 Canadian adults conducted between July 30 and Aug. 7, 2025, as part of the 2025–26 AmericasBarometer series.
