Gen Z Canadians are far less trusting than their counterparts in the general population, according to a Proof Strategies survey.

The most recent CanTrust Index – a survey of 1,515 Canadians representing population statistics based on region, age and gender – reveals that there is broad dissatisfaction and mistrust among the cohort, with just 39% of Gen Zers agreeing that “most people can be trusted,” compared with 47% of the general population.

The numbers also reveal a gender gap among the Gen Z cohort, with 32% of men saying, “most people can be trusted” compared with 44% of women in the demographic.

Gen Z men are also far more pro brand, pro AI and pro tech than their same-age female counterparts. Forty-three per cent of Gen Z men are pro large corporations and tech, versus 36% of Gen Z women and men are far more open to AI innovation (54% for men vs. 31% for women).

The male half of the generation’s broad embrace of AI – 66% of Gen Zers report using AI regularly or occasionally – belies national trends: Canadians as a whole are skeptical of AI across all sectors from its use in retail (39%), health care (38%), financial services (35%) and government (31%).

“Those who paint my generation with the same brush will end up with an incomplete picture, especially when it comes to the trust gap,” says Zoë Thompson, insights, intelligence and measurement analyst at Proof Strategies. “It’s not just about divisions along generational lines anymore. There is a stark gender divide within Gen Z itself in terms of trust in people and societal systems.”

The CanTrust Index also reveals that Gen Z men are generally less trusting of government investments and regulations on sustainability, diversity and health-care initiatives.

And Gen Z women generally place markedly more trust than men in familiar figures and long-established structures and are more likely to approve of increased government programs and spending.