King's College London

Six in 10 (61%) people in Canada blame the increased cost of living for a reported rise in youth mental health problems – far higher than the share of people in the UK (38%) and Australia (41%) who cite this as a factor, according to a new international study that underscores the extent of negative perceptions about the Canadian economy.

The research, by the Policy Institute at King’s College London and Ipsos Canada, finds that Canadian Gen Z are most likely to say the cost of living is driving greater mental health problems among young people, with seven in 10 (69%) selecting this as a key reason, compared with around six in 10 of older generations.

By contrast, only around half of Gen Z in the UK (49%) and Australia (51%) select greater living costs as a factor.

The results are being presented at a major conference in Vancouver, the International Association for Youth Mental Health Conference 2025, which brings together leading academics, policymakers and practitioners focused on supporting young people’s mental health.

The research finds Canadians overall (37%) are also notably more likely than their international peers in the UK (29%) and Australia (25%) to say worse economic or employment prospects are behind the rise in youth mental health issues.

Four in 10 (42%) Gen Z in Canada blame this for the deterioration in youth mental health – higher than Millennials (32%) and Baby Boomers (32%), who are next most likely to cite this as a cause.

A similar split can be seen on perceptions of higher levels of unstable housing and homelessness, where Gen Z (45%) are again most likely to say this is driving youth mental health problems.

Older generations, however, are more inclined to blame other factors:

• 37% of Baby Boomers say increased use of drugs and alcohol is behind worsening youth mental health – the highest of any generation surveyed, with Gen X (31%) next most likely to hold this view and Gen Z (24%) least likely to.
• 62% of Gen X blame increased use of social media, compared with closer to half of Baby Boomers (54%), Millennials (51%) and Gen Z (51%).

The survey, of 1,001 people aged 18+ in Canada between 24 and 27 January, was analysed alongside findings from similar surveys of the public conducted in the UK and Australia in December 2023 to allow for international comparisons.

The research also looked at public opinion on whether youth mental health problems really have increased or are instead just down to better diagnosis today, as well as perceptions of how hard life is for young people in Canada compared to older generations.

Youth mental health problems: are they actually worse today?

Overall, three in five (58%) people in Canada think youth mental health problems are either no worse than they were in the past or are increasing simply because today’s youth are less resilient.

This finding comes from analysing responses to two questions exploring people’s true perceptions of the youth mental health crisis:

• 41% of Canadians think mental health problems were just as common among young people in the past, they just weren’t identified as mental health problems back then. This compares with 45% who believe there has been a real increase in the proportion of young people with mental health problems today.
• And while over half (54%) of those who feel there has been a real increase in youth mental health problems say it’s because the circumstances facing young people today are more difficult than they were in the past, around four in 10 (37%) say it’s because young people today are less resilient than young people were in the past.

It’s seen as a good thing that we can better identify youth mental health problems today

Three-quarters (74%) of those who say mental health problems were just as common among young people in the past nonetheless feel it’s a good thing that we’re better at identifying such issues today, while one in seven (15%) say it’s a negative development.

And the public do feel mental health and other aspects of life are worse for today’s youth

Majorities of the Canadian public feel various aspects of life are worse for young people today compared with when they were young or when their parents were their age – including mental health (72%), the ability to afford things (72%), level of worry (64%) and future prospects (58%).

Young people themselves are often more likely to feel they have it tougher than older respondents. For example, 69% of those aged 29 and under say finding a full-time job is worse for young people today relative to their parents’ generation – notably higher than the 57% of those aged 30 and above who think this is worse than when they were young.

On most measures, Canadians’ views are in line with those of their international peers – but on others, Canadians are slightly more likely to feel that young people have it worse today:

• 72% of Canadians aged 30 and over say the ability to afford things has got worse for young people today – compared with 62% and 65% of the same group in the UK and Australia respectively.
• 60% of Canadians aged 29 and under say future prospects are worse for young people today compared with their parents’ generation – similar to the 57% of this group who say the same in the UK but higher than the 51% who hold this view in Australia.

Professor Bobby Duffy, Director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London, said:

“The Canadian public recognise how tough things have become for younger generations, and, in particular, how this has affected their mental health. They have a clear instinct that there are a number of drivers of increasing mental ill health among the young, not just one single cause. There is a lot of focus on the negative impact of social media and smartphones, and this is also recognised by the Canadian public – but only as one factor alongside other shifts that have hit young people hard, particularly economic challenges in being able to afford things, and to find good work and housing.

“Canadians also have nuanced view of whether the increased incidence of mental ill health is ‘real’ or just because we’re better at identifying conditions than in the past, with opinion split pretty much down the middle. The large majority of those who think the increase is down to better identification think that’s a good thing, as it means people can get support. Among those who think it is a ‘real’ increase, people are more likely to put it down to tougher circumstances than weaker young people. Overall, only a minority of Canadians, 17%, think it’s down to young people today being a less resilient ‘snowflake’ generation.”

Mike Colledge, President ESG, Ipsos Canada, said:

“The increased mental health challenges facing younger Canadians and the view that this is tied to their economic struggles is unfortunately not surprising. The notion of younger Canadians feeling left behind is a constant and worrisome theme in much of the work we are doing.”

Professor Pat McGorry AO, Executive Director of the Orygen Institute in Australia and Executive Committee member for the International Association for Youth Mental Health, said:

“The public in three high income countries are increasingly aware of the precarious state of the current and emerging generations of young people and the unprecedented impact on their mental health and wellbeing. They also have varying opinions as to the true extent of this and the reasons for the crisis. What shines through this set of opinions is the failure of older generations to take responsibility for this health and social crisis and to respond to the facts. We must engage with the reality, understand the forces causing this threat to society and act now. We have some immediate solutions and must find more.”

Survey details
The Canadian portion of this research was conducted via the Ipsos Canada Online Omnibus and included 859 adults in Canada aged 30+ and 142 aged 29 and under. Fieldwork took place from 24–27 Jan 2025