Chantal Meda
Research by Professor David Zussman, Jarislowsky Chair in Public Sector Management at the University of Ottawa, shows that most Canadians distrust government and are increasingly cynical towards politicians.
The research, which was conducted by EKOS, is part of a 20-year project in which Zussman is examining confidence in public institutions.
According to the results, the proportion of Canadians who indicated that they trust government has decreased from a high of 58 per cent in the late 1960s to only 27 per cent in 2005. Zussman’s research also shows that the number of Canadians who say that they have never joined a political party or worked for a party in the past three years has jumped from 74 to 85 per cent in just five years. This decline has the potential to diminish participation during elections, and is especially alarming among young people who seem to be less politically engaged, he explains.
However, while Canadians are becoming less drawn to politics, they are increasingly turning to volunteerism as a way of civic involvement, in areas such as amateur sport, United Way campaigns, local charitable organizations and hospitals. According to the research, 59 per cent of Canadians say that they have volunteered in the past three years.
Zussman’s research has also found that Canada is, overall, a satisfied nation, with more than three-quarters of Canadians saying that they are very satisfied with their life as a whole right now.
“For those interested in political parties I think they should be concerned,” Zussman says. “It is not that people are engaged in anything. It’s that they are not engaged in politics. What we’ve seen over all this period of time is a steady decline in the confidence people have in public institutions.”
Reasons for this precipitous decline are complex. “We’ve been plagued by a number of problems with governance over the last 20 to 30 years that have become better known to citizens than in past years,” Zussman says. He attributes this greater public awareness to mass media exposure, which has moderated our views and expectations as to the role of government.
What does this mean for voter turnout in the upcoming federal election? “It’s hard to say,” Zussman replies. “Typically, when people are dissatisfied they tend to vote against the governing party. However, when they’re satisfied it does not mean that the sitting party will be rewarded. It typically means that voters move on to consider non-economic questions before they cast their vote.”
