Young voters’ top priorities are not being addressed by federal leaders most focused on proving their party is best equipped to tackle the Canada-U.S. trade war and sovereignty threats, observers say. While those issues are a main concern for middle-aged and older Canadians, they aren’t shared to the same degree among Canada’s youngest generation of voters, a recent Abacus Data poll reveals.
Generation Z—which Abacus classifies as voters under the age of 30—places cost of living as a top issue (46 per cent), followed by housing affordability (33 per cent), according to a survey tracking more than 3,200 respondents released on April 5. Dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump ranks a distant third in importance among 23 per cent—which amounts to a 15-point gap between generation Z and other voters polled, with baby boomers listing Trump as their top issue by a significant margin.
