OTTAWA – The majority of Canadians are concerned about fake news, especially with regards to upcoming elections, and continue to put the most trust in traditional, mainstream media, says new research from the Media Technology Monitor (MTM).
Information Disorder – Fake News & Trust: Analysis of the Canadian Market delves into the issue of fake news, traditional vs. new platforms, and potential impacts for the upcoming Federal election. The results are based on a Spring 2018 mixed-methodology survey (telephone and follow-up online surveys) of 4,100 Canadian respondents across the country.
Highlights from the report include:
– Three-quarters of Canadians indicated they have at least some level of concern about the potential impact of fake news on next year's federal election;
– Online Canadians still put the most trust in the traditional, mainstream media over many of the alternatives available online, with 72% awarding traditional media top marks on a trust scale – 7 to 10 rank on a 10 point scale;
– With social media a touch point for the dissemination of fake news and disinformation, the vast majority of online Canadians don't put much trust in social media as a news source. However, those who use social media for news content report high levels in trust of traditional media.
MTM is a research product of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC/Radio Canada).
