Pubdate: Mon, 31 May 2004 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) 83e-4c7b-9bdf-72245098d497 Copyright: 2004 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: Misty Harris Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) MOST YOUNG CANADIANS SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE Poll also reveals that federal agenda is not youth's agenda Misty Harris The Edmonton Journal EDMONTON -- Canada's top politicians and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy don't have much in common, save their collective appreciation for showmanship. This federal election, however, the TV show's popularity among young Canadians may be partly responsible for engaging teens in social politics -- most notably, the contentious gay marriage debate. A new poll commissioned by CanWest News Service shows 59 per cent of Canadian teens, aged 14 to 18, support gay marriage. According to an expert in political studies, this is somewhat expected of a group coming of age while homosexual celebrities and icons are so ascendant in popular culture. "If it's not in the closet, it has to have an impact," says Brenda O'Neill, an associate professor at the University of Manitoba who has studied youth voter apathy. "This means that over time, Canada is becoming more progressive in its attitudes regarding civil liberties." The poll of 500 Canadian teens was sponsored by the Dominion Institute and Navigator Ltd., as part of Youth Vote 2004. The CanWest initiative is designed to engage young Canadians in the federal election, and to give parents, teachers and politicians a look at where young people stand on key issues. The issues that hit home with Canadian teens and the hot-button topics of the federal election aren't necessarily one in the same, says O'Neill. "What the heck is a youth issue? MP3s?" she asks, laughing. "A politician with any foresight will recognize what youth think today is going to matter for tomorrow. But you also have to recognize that young people's attitudes will change as they age." Edmonton resident Renze Nauta, who recently turned 18, decided the best way to get his voice heard in the election was to get involved. So last September, he threw his support behind Conservative Party candidate Rahim Jaffer as a volunteer youth organizer. "I think it would be a mistake to assume youth don't have the same needs as everyone else," says Nauta. "I don't think there really is one specific youth issue." Although Nauta tends to side with the Conservatives on key social issues, such as gay marriage and the decriminalization of marijuana, the teenager is adamant that his political opinions are his own. "I don't take marching orders from anybody," he asserts. "I make my own decisions." The CanWest survey was conducted at the end of March and has a 4.3-per-cent margin of error. Other key findings include strong support for immigrants (58 per cent of respondents disagreed with the statement that immigrants don't want to fit into Canadian society), engagement in the community (29 per cent have volunteered at least once in the past three years) and a feeling of safety in their environment (90 per cent said they feel safe when they travel to school every morning). "This is a very confident group of people who are feeling good, not feeling all that badly about government, are pretty engaged in their school and community, and are very confident about their own prospects," says Greg Lyle, a principal at Navigator Ltd. with a long history in politics. "There weren't a lot of 'I don't know' answers (from poll respondents)." The social issue that drew some of the most polarized responses from youth was the decriminalization of marijuana. When asked if the drug should be made legal, teens were almost split down the middle, with 55 per cent saying no and 41 per cent saying yes. "These young people are clearly taking sides," says Lyle. "This is real life for them -- they have to make real choices as to (whether) they're going to do drugs or not." - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D