TORONTO — While Quebecers are the most confident among Canadians they can identify false news, they scored lowest on a news literacy quiz conducted as part of new survey by the Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF).
“Quebecers are also most likely among Canadians to watch or read the news on a daily basis, and place the greatest trust in journalists and politicians when it comes to news about Covid-19 and the vaccines. However, Quebecers also say they feel the least informed about the side effects of the vaccine, compared to the other provinces,” reads a press release issued today by the CJF, highlighting some of the findings of the study.
(Today’s release is a follow-up to the CJF’s previous announcement in April.)
The Keep Truth Well research report was compiled on behalf of the CJF by Pollara Strategic Insights, who conducted an online survey among 2,013 Canadian adults from March 3 to 9, 2021.
The survey included a quiz measuring people’s belief in some of the most prominent false stories about Covid-19 and the vaccine.
“Quebecers were least likely to score an A (at least 10 out of 12 questions correct) compared to any other region in Canada and more than a quarter of Quebecers failed altogether. Only 28% of Canadians scored an A,” says the press release.
Some of the differences across Canada identified in the study include:
- Quebecers feel most confident in being able to spot false news (76%), while British Columbians feel least confident (63%).
- Albertans are more likely to say they have shared fake news (18%) while Ontarians and Quebecers are least likely (13% and 14%, respectively).
- Quebecers are most likely to consume news daily (75%), primarily television (56%), but they are also more likely to read newspaper websites (36%) and sponsored posts on social media (29%) than the other provinces and territories. Albertans are least likely to consume news daily (61%) among Canadians.
- Quebecers are more likely to trust journalists (72%) and politicians when it comes to news about Covid-19 and the vaccine. The Prairies and Alberta have the least trust in politicians and government authorities.
- Albertans say they are least informed about what is going on with Covid-19. However, they feel most informed about the side effects of the vaccine (77%). Ontarians are also well informed on this at 74%, while Quebecers say they know the least (63%).
The research also showed 64% of Quebecers will get the Covid-19 vaccine as soon as it is available to them (higher than the national rate, which saw 61% of Canadians say they will get a vaccine right away). In addition, 8% of Quebecers say they will never get a vaccine. By comparison, Alberta has the highest number of people who say they will never be vaccinated (13%).
“While there are some clear regional differences, what really jumps out to us is the importance of Canadians getting their news from credible sources and fact checking what they see,” said Craig Worden, president of Pollara Strategic Insights. “Where and how Canadians get their information, especially about Covid-19 and the vaccines, is clearly impacting their behaviour.”
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