P.E.I. youth rank last in Canada when it comes to life satisfaction, StatCan report says

About one in four Prince Edward Island children aged 12 to 17 surveyed by Statistics Canada said they are not satisfied with their lives, the highest rate in the country, according to a report released Tuesday.

The rate for Canada's smallest province is twice as high as the national average.

The 2023 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youthwas done last year, but the results have been combined with a survey done in 2019.

When asked about life satisfaction, 88.2 per cent of young respondents in Canada said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their lives. On P.E.I., only 76.5 per cent expressed that level of satisfaction.

SaraAustin, founder and CEO of the advocacy group Children First Canada, said the result is worrying but not surprising given factors such as increased povertyrates, unsupervised online activityand statistics that suggest two out of three kids experience abuse before the age of 15.

It continues to be a warning sign that the kids are not all right. SaraAustin

"It continues to be a warning sign that the kids are not all right," she said in an interview with CBC News: Compass host Steve Bruce.

"They need support that they're not receiving and it's incumbent on us as parents, as policymakers, and [as] members of the community to rally around our children."

Steep decline in kids' mental health called a crisis that's 'gone from bad to worse'

16 days ago

Duration 6:34

A Statistics Canada survey is showing a steep decline in children's mental health from 2019 to 2023, a trend that Children First Canada says is 'a warning sign that the kids aren't all right.' CEO Sara Austin joined CBC News: Compass host Steve Bruce to talk about the survey and what needs to be done to help children in the future.

The only other province to register satisfaction in the 70s was Alberta. Quebec youth had the highest rate of satisfaction, at 97.5 per cent.

Island youth also scored very low on how theyperceived their own physical and mental health.

Just over half, or 51.7 per cent, perceived their health as excellent or very good. That was the lowest rate in the country, but numbers were quite low across the board, with the national average being just 58.9 per cent.

Perceived mental health was even lower.

On P.E.I., 31.6 per cent of theyouth canvassed fewer than one in threeperceived their mental health to be excellent or very good. The province came ahead of only Saskatchewan in that category, and the national average was 35.7 per cent.

"There are many factors that may have influenced the mental health of children and youth over the four-year period," Statistics Canada said in a news release accompanying the data.

"The life changes that occur during the transition to adolescence and young adulthood can contribute to lowering levels of self-rated mental health for some youth. At the same time, the COVID-19pandemic had a big impact on the lives of many Canadians, and some effects are still being felt today."

Overall in Canada, girls were more likely than boys to say their mental health had declined.

Austin said it is good that young people feel more open talking about their mental health in recent years.

"If you interview kids themselves, they will say that they and their peers are facing real barriers, whether it's access to education, the existential threat of climate change, racism, increased rates of violence we could go on and on and on," she said.

"Our kids are facing crises that we didn't face as children. And we have to come to terms with that."