The following table summarizes the secondary analysis of data from Elections Canada's National Electors Study 2019 (NES 2019) to provide insight into segments of electors and their reasoning behind voting or not voting. This analysis focused on 10 groups of electors, including voters in the 2019 federal general election and potential voters (those who were open to voting, in that they reported that they intended to vote during the election period survey, but did not end up voting according to the post-election survey). Each group was profiled in terms of responses to a set of indicators covering the electoral process, reasons for not voting, effort to vote and perceptions of difficulty, demographics and psychographics.
Electors open to voting (intended to vote in the 2019 election, but did not) | Voted in the 2019 election | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Reasons for not voting | Electors with a disability | Degree of difficulty of voting | ||||||||
Too busy/out of town | Illness or disability | Registration/ information issue | Transportation/ distance to the polls | Polling place issue | Mild/ moderate disability | Severe disability | None (easy) | Some | High | |
Experience with the electoral process | ||||||||||
Registered to vote | Mixed/don't know | Mixed | No/don't know | No/don't know | No/don't know | Mixed | No/don't know | Yes | Don't know | Don't know |
Checked registration during the election | Updated/no | High | High | High | High | Average | Registered/ updated | Verified | Registered/ updated | Registered/ updated/none |
Know about polling day registration | Don't know | No | No | Above average | No | Average | Average | Average | Average | Average |
Received a Voter Information Card (variation from average) | Very low/ don't know | Very low/ don't know | Very low/ don't know | Very low | Very low | Below | Below | Slightly above | Below | Very low/don't know |
Awareness of accessible tools and services | Below average | Below average | Average | Average | Above average | Average | Very low | Average | Average | Low |
Visited EC website | Low | Very Low | Average | Average | Average | Average | Average | Average | Average | Average |
Satisfaction with EC website | Average | Very low | Low | Low | Very low | Average | Low | Average | low | Very low |
Contacted EC | Low | Low | High | High | High | Average | High | Average | Above average | Above average |
Satisfaction with EC contact | - | - | - | - | - | Average | Average | Average | Low | Very low |
Reason for not voting | Everyday life | Everyday life | Process | Process | Process | Political, everyday life | Process | - | - | - |
Felt informed about: | ||||||||||
Where to vote | Low | Low | Very low | Very low | Very low | Average | Low | Average | Low | Low |
When to vote | Low | Below average | Very low | Low | Very low | Average | Very low | Average | Low | Very low |
How to vote | Very low | Low | Very low | Low | Low | Low | Very low | Average | Low | Very low |
Perceive it would be easy/difficult to: | ||||||||||
Check if you are registered | Very difficult | Average | Very difficult | Average | Very difficult | Average | Very difficult | Average | Very difficult | Very difficult |
Register to vote | Somewhat/ very difficult | Somewhat difficult | Somewhat/ very difficult | Very difficult | Somewhat easy | Somewhat difficult | Somewhat/ very difficult | Very easy | Somewhat/ very difficult | Somewhat/ very difficult |
Get to the polling place | Somewhat/ very difficult | Somewhat/ very difficult | Somewhat/ very difficult | Very difficult | Very difficult | Somewhat difficult | Somewhat/ very difficult/ don't know | Very easy | Somewhat difficult/ don't know | Somewhat/ very difficult/ don't know |
Vote once there | Somewhat/ very difficult | Somewhat difficult | Somewhat difficult | Somewhat/very difficult | Somewhat difficult | Somewhat difficult | Somewhat/ very difficult/ don't know | Very easy | Somewhat/ very difficult/ don't know | Somewhat/ very difficult/ don't know |
Psychographics and cynicism toward politics | ||||||||||
Voting is a duty or choice | Choice | Choice | Choice | Choice | Choice | Mix | Choice | Duty | Choice | Choice |
Agree all political parties are basically the same | High | Average | High | High | High | Average | High | Low | Average | High |
Agree government doesn't care much what people like me think | Above average | Average | Above average | Average | High | Average | Above average | Low | Average | Above average |
Agree that politics/ government is too complicated to understand | High | Above average | High | Average | High | Above average | Above average | Average | Above average | Average |
Lack of civic/political engagement (No/never/don't know) | ||||||||||
No high school civics | Average | Above average | Average, don't know | High | Average, don't know | Average | Don't know | Average | Average | Average |
Never talk politics/ government at home growing up | High | High | Average | High | Average, don't know | Average | High | Average | Don't know | Don't know |
Never talk politics/ government at home now | High | High | High | High | Average/ don't know | Average | High | Low | High | Above average |
Never talk politics/ government with friends | High | High | High | High | High | Average | High | Low | High | High |
Socio-demographics (higher representation) | ||||||||||
Male/female | Female | Female | Female | Female | ||||||
Region | Atlantic, Prairies | Quebec, British Columbia | Alberta, Ontario | Atlantic, Quebec, Prairies | Quebec, Prairies | Atlantic | Atlantic | Quebec | British Columbia | |
Age | 18–34, 45–54 | 45–54, 65+ | 18–34, 45–54 | 25–34, 45–54 | 25–44 | 18–24, 65+ | 45–64 | 65+ | 18–34 | 25–34, 75+ |
Marital status | Single | Single, divorced, widowed | Single, divorced, widowed | Single, divorced, widowed | Single | Divorced, widowed | Single, divorced, widowed | Widowed | Single | Divorced, widowed |
Education | High school or less | High school or less, some post-secondary | High school or less | High school or less | High school or less, some post-secondary | High school or less, some post-secondary | High school or less, some post-secondary | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed |
Employment | Employed, unemployed, student, other | Unemployed, home, retired, other | Unemployed, home, student, other | Unemployed, home, student, other | Unemployed, student | Unemployed, retired, other | Unemployed, home, retired, other | Retired | Unemployed, student | Unemployed, home, student, other |
Indigenous | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Immigrant to Canada | Yes | Yes | ||||||||
Person with disability | Severe disability | Mild, severe | Severe disability | Mild, severe | Severe disability | Mild, moderate | Severe, very severe | Mild, moderate, severe | Mild, moderate, severe |