NATIONAL PULSE – Young people reluctant to go to war for Canada

Canadians who say they feel proud of Armed Forces declines by 27 points since 2019

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By ANGUS REID INSTITUTE

hJuly 10, 2025 – As Canada looks to ramp up spending on the Armed Forces to meet NATO commitments, there appears to be hesitation from young Canadians to fight for their country.

New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds half (49%) of Canadians willing to fight for their country in the event of an armed conflict, but among this half, most say they would only do so if they “agreed with the reasons for fighting”.

However, the most willing to enlist are those older than 54 (55%) while the 18- to 34-year-olds that will likely be necessary to fill recruitment gaps are less likely to say they foresee a situation where they would volunteer for the military in a combat role (43%).

These new data come at a pivotal time for Canada’s Armed Forces as the federal government increases defence spending budget to meet the country’s pledge to NATO. Whether it is years of headlines emphasizing Canada’s relative underinvestment in the military, or the lingering effects of the 2021 sexual misconduct scandal, Canadians’ pride in their Armed Forces has declined over the past six years. In November 2019, approaching four-in-five (79%) said they felt proud when thinking of Canada’s military; currently half (52%) say the same.

At the peak of the news cycle of sexual misconduct in the military, which saw 13 senior officers face allegations, three-quarters of Canadians said there was “a culture of disrespect toward women in the military”. Perhaps that plays a role into why Canadian women (36%) are much less likely than men (63%) to say they would volunteer to serve in the event of an armed conflict. But it may also be coded in evolutionary biology.

While pride in Canada has risen in the wake of the existential threats to the country uttered by U.S. President Donald Trump, it trails highs seen four decades earlier, when there was also more willingness from Canadians to fight for their country. Instilling pride may be a key to solving the military’s “recruitment crisis”, as those who say they are “very proud” or “proud” to be Canadian are much more likely (53%) to say they would volunteer to fight for Canada than those who are less patriotic.

More Key Findings:

• Canadians are more likely to be supportive if their daughter (52%) or son (49%) joined the Armed Forces than excited (28% son, 32% daughter).

• Those who voted CPC in April are more likely to say they would volunteer for the military in the event of an armed conflict (59%) than those who voted Liberal (47%), NDP (36%) or Bloc Québécois (35%). A majority of the latter two groups of voters say instead they would not put their hand up.

Link to the poll here: www.angusreid.org/

Download .PDF with detailed tables, graphs and methodology.