Home | Research | DED |CVD |ECD | EMD | HPD | LCD | LSD | TUD | Disclaimer | Copyright JANUARY 2010 - REPORT HIGHLIGHTS - Democratic Engagement Domain [DED] - Highlights PRAIRIE WILD CONSULTING CO. Together with HOLDEN & Associates Ba DEMOCRATIC ENGAGEMENT DOMAIN [DED]- HIGHLIGHTS (9) DED Wellbeing Indicators - 8 1 Voter Turnout 2 Volunteer Rate for Political Activities 3 Policy Impact Perceptions 4 Representation of Women in Parliament 5 Net Official Development Assistance as a Percentage of Gross National Income (GNI) 6 Ratio of Registered to Eligible Voters 7 Satisfaction with Democracy 8 Interest in Politics C Report Highlights (9) - THIS WEB-PAGE a Fewer of us are Voting b Voter Interest Doesn’t Mean Voter Turnout c We are Less Involved in Traditional Political Activities than Non-Traditional Ones d Many of us are not Satisfied with Canadian Democracy e We Don’t Believe Federal Policies Have Made our Lives Better f Most Eligible Voters are Registered g Women are Significantly Under-Represented in Parliament h Canada’s Global Engagement is Poor i New Indicators on Internet Use Needed The following are the key highlights of the report: a Fewer of us are Voting 1 From a high of 69.6% in the 1993 federal election (the starting point for this research), voter turnout has declined significantly. 2 In the 2008 federal election, voter turnout – 59.1% – was more than 10 percentage points lower than in 1993. It was the lowest voter participation in Canadian history. 3` Federal elections generally have the highest voter turnout, with provincial elections lower and municipal elections lower still. 4 The 2006 Canadian Election study reported that 86% of respondents considered it their duty to vote, yet only 65% of Canadians actually voted that year. Chart 1 Voter Turnout Source: Elections Canada b Voter Interest Doesn’t Mean Voter Turnout 1 The percentage of Canadians who say they are “not interested in politics” went from 9.7% in 1997 down to 7.1% in 2006. 2 But there is no correlation between voter interest and voter turnout. In 2000, voter interest increased from the previous election but voter turnout decreased. Yet in the 2006 election year, both voter turnout and voter interest increased. 3 Data on voter interest is not yet available for the record low voter turnout in 2008. Chart 2. Interest in Politics Source: Canada Election Survey c We are Less Involved in Traditional Political Activities than Non-Traditional Ones 1 The volunteer rate for traditional political activities – including for law, advocacy and political groups that “work to protect and promote civil and other rights, advocate the social and political interests of general or special constituencies, offer legal services, and promote public safety” – has been consistently very low, hovering at around 2%. 2 The average number of volunteer hours for law, advocacy and political groups declined 15% between 2004 and 2007. 3 Participation in non-traditional engagement activities such as protesting, signing petitions or boycotting has been high. In 2002, the General Social Survey found that 54.6% of Canadians 15 years and older participated in at least one political activity, either traditional or non-traditional. 4 Participation patterns for traditional political activities (specifically, belonging to a political organization) has tended to increase with age: the older a person is, the more likely they are to volunteer with a political organization. With non-traditional political activities, it is the opposite: younger age groups are more likely to participate in non-traditional political activities than older age groups. Chart 3. Volunteer Rate for Political Activities Source: Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating d Many of us are not Satisfied with Canadian Democracy 1 The percentage of Canadians who were very satisfied or fairly satisfied with how democracy works in Canada varied from 54% to 63% between 1997 and 2006. 2 A 2007 Angus Reid poll of Ontarians showed 52% satisfied with the way democracy works in Canada, with 41% dissatisfied. 3 Election “winners” are more likely to be satisfied with the way democracy works regardless of their satisfaction level before the election. This suggests that minority governments may not improve satisfaction levels since there are no clear winners. Chart 4. Satisfaction with Democracy Source: Canada Election Survey e We Don’t Believe Federal Policies Have Made our Lives Better 1 The percentage of Canadians who feel that the policies of the Federal government have made their lives better (as opposed to making not that much difference) ranged from a low of 6% to a high of 20% between 1997 and 2006. 2 This suggests a strong disconnect bet ween the activities of government and how this trickles down to the perception at the individual level. Chart 5. Policy Impact Perception Source: Canada Election Survey f Most Eligible Voters are Registered 1 One of the goals of government should be to consistently communicate the details of an election with all its electors. A common method of doing this is through voter registration. 2 The ratio of registered to eligible voters in Canada was reasonably high in 2006 (93%) and 2008 (96%), but lower than the 98% achieved in both 2000 and 2004. Chart 6. Ratio of Registered to Eligible Voters Source: Research Team, using data derived from Elections Canada and the Census. g Women are Significantly Under-Represented in Parliament 1 Women make up half of the Canadian population and are the largest group of citizens underrepresented in our democracy. Since 1997, the percentage of women Members of Parliament has remained relatively steady – and low – at about 20% of total seats. 2 In the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2007, Canada ranked only 18th in gender equality on the Global Gender Gap Index and 36th on the political empowerment sub-index. Chart 7. Representation of Women in Parliament Source: Elections Canada h Canada’s Global Engagement is Poor 1 The Government of Canada’s commitment to global development is measured by the percentage of Gross National Income (GNI) devoted to Official Development Assistance (ODA). The proportion of Canadian GNI devoted to ODA fell from a high of .43% in 1994 to .32% in 2008. 2 This commitment to ODA fell short on two fronts: First, there is a long-standing United Nations target for developed countries to devote 0.7% of their GNI to ODA – more than twice the current level of Canadian assistance. Second, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that Canada’s percentage of GNI devoted to ODA will only rise from 0.32% in 2008 to 0.34% in 2010. In 2008, Canada ranked poorly in terms of GNI devoted to ODA – 16th out of 22 member countries. Chart 8. Official Development Assistance - Canada Source: OECD i New Indicators on Internet Use Needed 1 The internet provides an information and communications tool that was most likely unimaginable when the institutions of our representative democracy were developed. It can facilitate the political voice and knowledge of citizens and the engagement, competency, and legitimacy of government. 2 The penetration of the internet has driven the development of new media, citizen media, and Web 3.0 where individuals and organizations outside the traditional media develop, maintain, and access information through web-based programs, even using mobile devices. 3 It is vital that we enrich our understanding of democratic engagement by developing new indicators that focus on internet use. Currently, there are limited sources of data on internet-based democratic discussion or the extent of our governments' efforts to improve our democracy via electronic technology. Future research and data development must begin to provide data to measure elements of demographic engagement through internet use. A Summary (6) - Democratic Engagement Domain [DED] B Trends (8) - Democratic Engagement Domain [DED] C Highlights (9) - Democratic Engagement Domain [DED] - THIS WEB-PAGE D Conclusions(7) - Democratic Engagement Domain [DED] E Ideas for Positive Change (10) - Democratic Engagement Domain [DED] R THE CANADIAN INDEX OF WELLBEING NETWORK a Based in the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo, the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Network is an independent, non-partisan group of national and international leaders, researchers, organizations, and grassroots Canadians. b Its mission is to report on wellbeing at the national level and promote a dialogue on how to improve it through evidence-based policies that are responsive to the needs and values of Canadians. c The Network’s signature product is the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW). d The CIW measures Canada’s wellbeing and tracks progress in eight interconnected categories. e It allows us, as Canadians, to see if we are better off or worse off than we used to be - and why. f It helps identify what we need to change to achieve a better outcome and to leave the world a better place for the generations that follow. The Honourable Roy J. Romanow, Chair The Honourable Monique Bégin, Deputy Chair University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1 519-888-4567, ext. 31235 | ciwinfo@uwaterloo.ca | http://www.ciw.ca Home | Research | DED |CVD |ECD | EMD | HPD | LCD | LSD | TUD | Disclaimer | Copyright
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