Canadian Millennial and Gen Z Social Values Study 2020

In 2016, the Environics Institute for Survey Research partnered with The Counselling Foundation of Canada, RBC, the McConnell Foundation, and Apathy is Boring to conduct a landmark study of Canada’s Millennial generation. This study was the first of its kind in Canada to reveal how members of this generation are taking their place in society through the lens of their social values, with the primary focus on life goals and markers of adulthood, career aspirations and work, and political and civic engagement. This research also provided valuable insight into how Millennials are similar and different from the generations preceding them (notably their Boomer parents and the Gen-Xers just ahead of them).

This research utilized the social values methods pioneered by Environics Research (and popularized by Michael Adams) to identify six distinct social values groups that characterize Canadian Millennials, and how they are similar and different in meaningful ways.

In 2020, the Institute conducted a new iteration of this social values research, in partnership with Apathy is Boring, to:

• Update the 2016 research to identify how the perspectives and experiences of Canadian Millennials have evolved over the past four years;

• Include the leading-edge of the next generation (Gen Z), in terms of their social values groups and how they view the same issues and aspirations; and

• Examine new topics and issues relevant to both generations, with a focus on perspectives on democracy and global issues, as well as youth engagement in community and politics.

The survey fieldwork was conducted in late 2020, and the first of three reports will be published in February 2021.

For more information, contact
Keith Neuman at [email protected]