Young adults struggling with mental health, finances: data

Young adults in Toronto are struggling more than previous years — and to a greater extent than their older peers — with deteriorating mental health, crippling financial concerns and growing social isolation, according to an organization that tracks the city's quality of life.

In a new research brief released Wednesday, the Toronto Foundation highlights the disproportionate challenges Torontonians between the ages of 18 and 29 face as they navigate the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

The brief paints a bleak picture of a cohort strained by the rising cost of living, the shift to hybrid work and difficulty building social connections, even as the COVID-19 pandemic fades from view.

"The pandemic really shone a light into the fact that there were all these sort of fault lines within our society, and it certainly exacerbated a lot of pre-existing challenges," said Mohamed Huque, director of community impact at the Toronto Foundation.

"With 20-somethings in particular, because it's such a critical stage in one's development, I think it can have a really detrimental effect long term if we don't stem the tide," he said.

The brief is based on an analysis of data from a variety of sources, including the previously-released 2022 Toronto Social Capital Study and the 2023 Vital Signs Report, which found all Toronto residents are less civically engaged, more lonely and struggling more with mental health. 

The main findings of the report are:

The data showed self-reported mental health among 20-somethings in 2023 dropped down to similar levels as 2020 — the first year of the pandemic — after increasing somewhat in 2021 and 2022, according to the brief.

The number of 20-somethings reporting concerns about rent or mortgages almost doubled (to 40 per cent) between 2022 and 2023, when inflation reached a 40-year high of 6.8 per cent on an annual basis.

The brief also found a correlation in the data between increased time spent on digital devices and symptoms of depression and anxiety, although it was unclear whether more screen time caused poor mental health or vice versa.

Stachen Lett-Frederick, executive director of Frontlines Toronto, says she's not surprised by the findings.

Lett-Frederick says the number of young people accessing services and programs at her youth charity, which serves the low-income Weston neighbourhood, doubled between 2022 and 2023.

"It is really disheartening that we're seeing more and more young people having to rely on social systems to to make ends meet," she said.

She says more young people are coming to her organization hungry, homeless, jobless or depressed, with some even considering suicide.