Canadians like the idea of public service for young adults. Should it be mandatory?

Though he recalls feeling anxious ahead of his military service, Daniel You planned to make the most of it. 

“It’s required for all Korean males; we grow up expecting it,” said the 32-year-old Torontonian, “but I wanted to make sure it didn’t hinder my growth in terms of career.” 

You immigrated to Canada in high school and attended two years of university before returning to South Korea in 2014 for compulsory military service. He also completed some English proficiency exams beforehand, leading to a role as an army translator.

“I had the opportunity to work in a U.S. garrison … but also it opened up the opportunity to apply overseas and actually work in the UAE for about eight months. So I was happy with that experience,” he said.

Various nations worldwide have some form of compulsory military or civic service that starts with young adults and, according to a recent poll, Canadians support the idea of citizens under 30 devoting a year to serving their country similarly.

Young adults who volunteer gain a host of benefits, experts say — but making it mandatory is a thornier proposition.

Support for civilian service, but divided on military

At least seven in 10 people responding to a recent Angus Reid poll supported the idea of one year of mandatory public service for Canadians under 30 — things like tutoring kids or working in national parks. Mandatory military service, however, was more divisive, with 43 per cent in support and 44 per cent opposed.

The online survey of 1,619 Canadian adults was conducted from June 20 to 23.

Amid Canada’s Elbows Up wave, the idea was to gauge our appetite for this kind of national initiative, according to Angus Reid Institute president Shachi Kurl. 

“We live in an era where society feels way more stratified … way more divided in terms of how they see their country,” she said from Vancouver. 

“There’s nothing like being in a situation where you are interacting with people from different walks of life, different cultures, different linguistic backgrounds … [to] have a…