January 2020
It can be a challenge attracting younger people to serve as condo directors. There are a couple of reasons for this.
Younger people have a knowledge deficit. Electoral turnouts in elections of all kinds are on the decline among younger voters. In Ontario about half of all eligible voters fail to cast a vote. This is despite the greater ease in which information is available.
Research conducted by Campaign Research on behalf of The Toronto Star provides some answers. It seems that about half of people between 18 and 24 feel they don’t have enough information to make an informed decision during elections. These are the same people who rely on their smartphone for access to the internet to be informed. It is not uncommon for them to watch video without sound for less than a minute before losing interest and moving on. This is not an effective way to understand complex topics and develop an informed opinion.
As people age they feel they have more information upon which to make informed election decisions. As individuals age they also tend to get more of their information from traditional mass media including television, newspapers and radio. Fewer rely on social media. These people are generally better informed, able to make better decisions and more confident about making decisions based on what they know.
Condominium corporations seeking to encourage younger people to participate on condo boards or committees have a daunting task. How they deal with this reality determines their success in bringing younger condo residents onto their boards and committees.
