Key Takeaways:
- The happiness levels of Canadians under 30 have been declining, with the country ranking 15th in the 2024 World Happiness Report and 18th in the 2025 report.
- Young Canadians are reconfiguring their expectations of what it means to be an adult, with many delaying major life milestones such as marriage, children, and home ownership due to financial constraints.
- The decline in happiness among young Canadians is attributed to factors such as unaffordable housing, struggles to save for the future, online gloom, and a growing youth mental health crisis.
- Researchers suggest that the social and online environment occupied by today’s young people may be a significant contributor to their declining happiness levels.
- Despite the challenges, many young Canadians are finding ways to be happy in the moment and are adapting to a new way of living.
Introduction to the Issue
As a teen growing up in Toronto, Bhavik Sharma imagined what life would look like at 25. He and his high school friends would be starting families, earning six-figure salaries, and living comfortably. However, now 27, he’s back living with his parents in Kitchener, Ont., driven out of Toronto by high rent and other costs. Sharma’s story is not unique, as many young Canadians are facing significant challenges in achieving their life goals. The World Happiness Report says Canadians under 30 were the happiest age group in the country as recently as 2011, but now they’re the unhappiest. The 2024 edition of the report, which asked participants to picture their life as a ladder with the best possible life at 10 and the worst at zero, found that young Canadians have experienced an exceptional decline in happiness levels.
The Demise of the U-Shaped Trajectory
Before 2014, well-being in Canada could be broadly described as a U-shaped trajectory, with satisfaction high among youth, declining to a low point in mid-life, and then rising again as people got older. However, this trajectory is no more, according to John Helliwell, an emeritus professor of economics at the University of British Columbia and a founding editor of the World Happiness Report. The happiness of young Canadians has dropped significantly, and social and economic conditions are not seen as promising, unlike previous generations. The chances of getting a job with a future and the price of housing are significant concerns for young Canadians, and uncertainty about these aspects of life is negatively impacting their happiness.
Shifting Life Benchmarks
The average age of marriage has steadily increased, from 25 in 1968 to 35 in 2019, according to Statistics Canada. The average age of first-time mothers has also risen, from 22 to 29, while the average age of all mothers has increased to nearly 32 in 2024, up from almost 27 in 1976. Many young Canadians are delaying major life milestones due to financial constraints, and some are reevaluating their priorities. For example, 18-year-old Violet Rode, a theatre student at Montreal’s Dawson College, said that many people don’t prioritize love and kids as much as they used to, and that the cost of living is a significant factor in this decision.
Adapting to a New Way of Living
Following the release of the 2024 World Happiness Report, Canadian researchers looked closely at the numbers and confirmed the findings. However, they noted that the size of the happiness decline among young Canadians could depend on how they were questioned. Anthony McCanny, the lead author of the Canadian Happiness Report, said that when Statistics Canada asked Canadian youth how satisfied they were currently, the decline in happiness was significantly less dramatic. McCanny suggested that the age group is "just in flux" and adapting to a new way of living. Many young Canadians are finding ways to be happy in the moment, despite the challenges they face. For example, Sharma said that he finds joy in spending time with family and friends, taking vacations, and balancing work expectations.
The Impact of Social Media
The social and online environment occupied by today’s young people may be a significant contributor to their declining happiness levels. Rode said that her generation struggles with their attention span, and that social media hampers mental health. LeBlanc, a 31-year-old communications CEO, said that her generation is expected to be more plugged in than those before, and that the 24/7 news cycle can be overwhelming. Helliwell noted that data is being collected on social media use and its impact on happiness, and that the decline in happiness among Canadian youth has been smaller in Quebec, where social media use is lower.
Finding Happiness in the Moment
Despite the challenges, many young Canadians are finding ways to be happy in the moment. Nicholas Schorn, a 32-year-old writer, said that life is "decently happy" for him, despite the turmoil he faces due to the cost of housing, financial and job security, and a lack of support for people working in the arts. Schorn finds comfort in community spaces like a local coffee shop and "soul-nourishing" volunteer work. He has drawn his sights closer, focusing on short-term goals like starting a new Dungeons & Dragons campaign or finishing a short story, rather than distant goals like home ownership or a secure job. Helliwell said that happiness researchers have found that reality is often better than people think, and that a key component of being happy is a feeling of community. His advice is to "step out of yourself and get out of your gloom" and do a small thing to improve the world around you.