STUDENT BUDGET CONSULTATION

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Aron Barton
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1 STUDENT BUDGET CONSULTATION The Student Budget Consultation is a project of This project is supported by

2 BUDGET PRIORITIES WHAT ISSUES SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT FOCUS ON? The top 5, as ranked by students: #1 Healthcare #2 The Environment #3 The Economy #4 Poverty & Inequality #5 Unemployment Students want to see more investment in education & environmental protection. Environmental Protection Post-Secondary Education Transfers Healthcare Transfers Support for Women & Youth Innovation/R&D 60% 34% 6% 58% 34% 8% 52% 42% 7% 49% 39% 12% 47% 46% 6% 59% of students agree that reducing the federal debt should be a high priority. Indigenous Youth/ Communities National Defence Employment, EI & Skills Training Social Infrastructure (Child Care) Infrastructure Arts & Culture 43% 39% 17% 39% 49% 12% 35% 56% 8% 34% 55% 11% 32% 60% 8% 15% 55% 31% Spending should be increased Spending should be the same Spending should be decreased DEBT Students from Atlantic provinces most strongly support debt reduction.

3 JOBS & THE ECONOMY Students are increasingly confident about their future job prospects and upward mobility students believe that there is a youth unemployment problem in Canada. This is down compared to last year s results. Q: When you finish school, how confident are you that you will find a job that interests you within Canada? 40% 52% YES 59% NO 41% YES 68% NO 32% 7% 1% Very confident Somewhat confident Not very confident Not at all confident Students believe that upward mobility is achievable in Canadian society today. 72% agree that, no matter what circumstances you are born into, if you work hard enough you can be as successful as anyone else. This is an increase from 67% of respondents in the 2017 survey.

4 HELPING YOUTH & FAMILIES Students believe that reducing student debt and making education more affordable is key to their future success and overall well-being. Q: What is the most important step the federal Q: government could take to assist families? Making post-secondary education more affordable & accessible Lowering personal income taxes What is the most important step the government could take to remedy youth unemployment? 39% 26% Putting a cap on fees charged by banks & $ telecom companies 5% 8% 22% Supporting access to affordable daycare Providing more tax credits for children s activities Female students are more likely to favour investments to education than male students. 39% 30% 17% 14% Improve access to jobs Make student debt more manageable Increase awareness about which employment sectors have the most jobs Increase skills training opportunities for 21st century learners

5 INCOME INEQUALITY Most students believe that income inequality is a problem in Canada. Q: How much should wealthy people pay in taxes? 56% More 24% About the same as now 55% agree that the gap between those with high incomes and those with low incomes is too large. 19% Less Male students are twice as likely to favour a decrease in high-income taxes. Students in Saskatchewan agree most strongly. AGREE OR DISAGREE? Wealthy Canadians have a greater obligation than others to help those in need. 50% 23% 28% Agreed Neutral Disagree MALE More 52% About the same as now 20% Less 28% FEMALE More 61% About the same as now 28% Less 11% Ontario students were the most divided on the issue and the least likely to be neutral.

6 TAXES STUDENTS SPLIT BETWEEN MAINTAINING THE STATUS QUO & INCREASING CORPORATE TAXES Q: How much tax should corporations pay? 33% 39% 11% much more somewhat more about the same as now 15% somewhat less 2% much less Most students favour federal carbon pricing, but many are still reluctant to take a position on the issue. 45% support 37% neutral 17% disagree This is an increase from 36% of students who supported putting a price on carbon in the 2017 survey. Students are slightly split on BIG GOVERNMENT vs. SMALL GOVERNMENT 53% favour higher taxes & more government services 47% favour lower taxes & fewer services Women, and respondents from Saskachewan and Quebec, are most in favour of higher taxes and more government services and programs.

7 TAX RATES BY INCOME LEVEL Should the tax rates of the following individuals be increased, decreased or stay the same? INDIVIDUAL YEARLY INCOME % OF INCOME TAXED DECREASED STAY THE SAME INCREASED $11,500 0% 65% 35% $45,000 15% 47% 47% 6% $70, % 45% 46% 10% $120,000 26% 42% 43% 15% $170,000 29% 46% 34% 20% $210,000 33% 46% 31% 23% When informed about specific tax rates, students are more likely to support tax cuts or the status quo.

BACKGROUND & METHODOLOGY The Student Budget Consultation is a civic education and financial literacy program for high school students across Canada.

In conjunction with the 2018 Federal Budget, Canadian high school students were consulted on budget priorities using online and paper-based questionnaires.

8 BACKGROUND & METHODOLOGY The Student Budget Consultation is a civic education and financial literacy program for high school students across Canada. The process gives young people an opportunity to learn about government and public policy, debate varying viewpoints and offer their own opinion on the priorities of the federal budget. In conjunction with the 2018 Federal Budget, Canadian high school students were consulted on budget priorities using online and paper-based questionnaires. In total, more than 7,000 students from every province and territory in Canada participated between November 2017 and February Canadian census data has been used to weight the findings to reflect the actual population distribution by province of Canadians between the ages of 12 and 18. Due to rounding, percentages presented throughout this document may not add up to 100 per cent and precisely reflect the absolute figures. is a national registered charity dedicated to building the habits of active and engaged citizenship among young Canadians. CIVIX provides experiential learning opportunities to help young Canadians practice their rights and responsibilities as citizens and connect with their democratic institutions. GENDER BREAKDOWN: 50% REGIONAL BREAKDOWN: 47% TERRITORIES 1% 2% BC 22% AB 18% MALE FEMALE MB 14% SK 7 % OTHER QC 7% ATL 7% ON 24% is a parallel election for students under the voting age coinciding with official elections, and is the flagship program of CIVIX. In the 2015 federal election, 922,000 elementary and secondary students cast a Student Vote ballot from approximately half of all schools in Canada.

STUDENT BUDGET CONSULTATION

STUDENT BUDGET CONSULTATION The Student Budget Consultation is a project of This project is supported by DEBT & DEFICIT Students want to reduce the debt 66% of students agree that reducing the debt should