Canadian data from the Reuters Digital News Report show that Canadians’ trust in news remains relatively stable compared to pre-pandemic data. Almost half (45%) of respondents feel they can trust most news overall, most of the time. Francophone Canadians tend to demonstrate higher levels of trust in news across all categories.
Likely due to the pandemic, more than half of Canadians (53%) are accessing news online, increasing 15% compared to 2016. But, almost two-thirds (63%) of Canadians are also concerned about what is real and what is fake on the internet. Trust in news from search engines and social media is considerably lower than trust in news overall.
The 2021 data was collected during the second wave of the pandemic, while the 2020 data survey was conducted shortly before the pandemic announcement. A comparison of the data provides insight into the changes in news consumption habits and perceptions of the pandemic.
Questions about COVID-19 and disinformation during this global crisis were included, along with new questions about how Canadians perceive media coverage of groups with which they may identify, the neutrality or impartiality of news media, and their financial situation.
The Digital News Report is an annual online survey of news consumers’ habits and perceptions conducted in 2021 in 46 countries and piloted by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Data collection took place from January 14 to February 15, 2021.
The Digital News Report is an annual online survey of news consumers’ habits and perceptions conducted in 2021 in 46 countries and piloted by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Data collection took place from January 14 to February 15, 2021. The Canadian summary from the 2021 Reuters report can be accessed by clicking here. The Centre d’études sur les médias is the Canadian partner in the study and their Overview of the Canadian Results can be accessed by clicking here.
