Canadian youth anxious about their economic future, but still face barriers to accessing mental health support
Economic pressures have left over 80% of Canadian youth feeling stressed and anxious about their future – yet barriers to accessing mental health support persist
New report from GreenShield and Mental Health Research Canada highlights the urgent need for more accessible, inclusive solutions to support youth mental health
Waterloo, ON (Nov. 19, 2025) – A new survey from GreenShield, Canada’s only national non-profit health care and insurance organization, conducted in partnership with Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC), reveals that over 80% of Canadian youth feel overwhelmed by stress and anxiety about their future, and economic pressures – including job insecurity and the rising cost of living – are key drivers.
The survey paints a stark picture: financial stress is not only intensifying mental health challenges for Canadian youth, but also blocking access to care. The findings reveal how economic instability is shaping young Canadians’ wellbeing and their ability to seek support.
“Canada’s youth are navigating a perfect storm of economic instability and emotional strain,” said Zahid Salman, President and CEO of GreenShield. “At GreenShield, we’re committed to breaking down barriers to care, whether financial, cultural, or systemic, by providing a single, easy-to-access platform tailored to their unique needs. Supporting youth mental health is not just about promoting well-being, it’s about investing in Canada’s future and ensuring every young person can thrive.”
Highlights from the survey include:
- 70% of youth say the cost of living is the biggest barrier to attaining the life they aspire to.
- 76% believe that no matter how hard they work, larger forces beyond their control will determine their financial future.
- 41% cite mental health challenges as a major obstacle to achieving their goals, with top stressors including not making enough to cover living expenses (48%) and job insecurity (34%).
- 52% say cost is the biggest barrier to accessing mental health support, followed by long wait times (45%) and difficulty finding the right support (41%).
“The data is clear: Canada’s youth are seriously struggling and in need of help,” said Akela Peoples, President and CEO, Mental Health Research Canada. “As the mental health crisis continues and barriers to care persist, the release of these insights helps guide urgent action to support youth across the country. Our collaboration with GreenShield enables us to turn research into action–informing evidence-based decisions, shaping services, and addressing the urgent needs of young people across the country.”
As a purpose-driven non-profit, GreenShield is committed to supporting mental health of young Canadians during these challenging times. Last week GreenShield launched its pilot Youth Mental Health Ecosystem, a centralized digital platform designed to provide young Canadians with timely, culturally relevant mental health support. This innovative solution connects youth directly to trusted organizations and resources through a single, easy-to-navigate interface, helping eliminate barriers to care.
Integrated within the GreenShield+ platform, the ecosystem builds on GreenShield’s broader commitment to offering accessible and inclusive health services to Canadians at home and in the workforce. Through its seamlessly integrated health care and insurance platform, GreenShield offers virtual access to a wide network of clinicians and a personalized therapist matching tool, alongside telemedicine, pharmacy, chronic disease management, mental health services and benefits plans.
The mental health needs of young Canadians continue to evolve, and GreenShield remains committed to driving innovation and collaboration across sectors. As part of this commitment, GreenShield is also offering free mental health support to youth from equity-seeking populations, including personalized counselling and a one-year subscription to internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT). By working alongside research partners, community organizations, and employers, the organization is helping to build a more inclusive and resilient future – one where every young person has the support they need to thrive.
About the Survey
In partnership with GreenShield, Mental Health Research Canada deployed a national one-time survey to understand generational experiences in Canada focused on the topic areas of the current political and economic climate, the workforce and mental health indicators.
The survey was deployed to 2,745 Canadians aged 16 and older from September 11-21, 2025. Of these, 2,213 were youth ages 16 to 29 (including 200 under 18 years old), and 532 were adults aged 30 and over. A random sample of panelists were invited to complete the survey from a set of partner panels based on the Lucid exchange platform. These partners are typically double opt -in survey panels, blended to manage out potential skews in the data from a single source. The survey results have a margin of error of +/- 1.87, 19 times out of 20. The data was weighted by age, gender, education and region to ensure representativeness. Totals may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
To read the full survey, visit www.mhrc.ca/generation-under-pressure.
About GreenShield
As Canada’s only national non-profit health care and insurance organization, GreenShield believes health care is a right, not a privilege. We’re dedicated to improving health outcomes, driving systemic change, and building a future where every Canadian can reach their full health and well-being potential.
We are revolutionizing the health care and insurance experience by bringing coverage and care together in one place. Through our unique integrated payer-provider (“payvider”) model, we offer insurance, administer benefits and pay claims as a ‘payer’ while offering health care services such as mental health, pharmacy, telemedicine and chronic disease management as a ‘provider’.
As a non-profit social enterprise without shareholders, we reinvest our excess earnings to directly support underserved communities. Through GreenShield Cares, we’ve positively impacted the health and well-being of over one million Canadians since 2020.
What’s driving us now is the commitment to measurably impact an additional three million Canadians by 2030 – across mental health, essential medicines, and chronic disease management – through scalable initiatives that deliver meaningful change in pursuit of our mission of Better Health for All.
GreenShield is proud to be recognized multiple times as one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures, certified annually as a leading Imagine Canada Caring Company, and honoured with repeat placement on Fortune’s prestigious Change the World list – a testament to our sustained commitment to purpose-driven innovation and impact. For more information, visit greenshield.ca.
About Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC)
As an independent national charity, we work hard to enable a future where mental health in Canada is transformed using evidence, data and stakeholder engagement. We are dedicated to turning mental health research into real-world solutions. We unite researchers, communities, and people with lived experience to bridge gaps in care through national population polling, rapid data reporting, and partnerships that inform policy to improve outcomes. We also invest in the next generation of researchers through fellowships and studentships and foster collaborations between academia and communities to drive innovation. Upstream investments drive down stream solutions – because without research, it’s just guesswork. For more information, visit www.mhrc.ca.
SOURCE: GreenShield
Tags: charity, Green Shield Canada (GSC), mental health care