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We often use the ballot box as proxy for interest in politics and I think that’s misplaced

“We often use the ballot box as proxy for interest in politics and I think that’s misplaced,” said Samara Canada Executive Director Jane Hilderman. “To continue to call this generation apathetic I think is a disservice.”

“They don’t see politics always as the most relevant arena for pushing for change,” she added, saying many would see parliament championing an issue as a last step, not a first for fostering change.

So why then, aren’t they voting?

The reasons are many but the report highlights one key difference: under 30 voters are far less likely to have had direct contact with a political party or politician, whether it’s by mail, phone, online or in person.

There are practical reasons for this, Hilderman said, such as the fact students move a lot as do young people at the start of their careers, fewer and fewer young people have landlines and when messages do arrive, they don’t always resonate.

Less-educated and poorer millennials are even less likely to have political contact: university campuses get many young politicos into one party or another, but if you go to college, pursue a trade or skip post-secondary all together, the report found you’re more likely to be less engaged in party politics.

“College students by and large get ignored even more than university students,” said executive vice-president of Mainstreet Research.

“Are the parties putting enough resources into reaching young voters? I would say no,” Valentin said. “When we think about canvassing, the way the system is set up now is skewed against young people who don’t own homes or don’t have landlines.”