An overwhelming 83% of Canadian internet users have a Facebook account. This is according to Leger and Ressac’s Digital Canada 2023 study.

The research surveyed 3,000 English- and French-speaking Canadian internet users who were 16 years and older. Data was collected from Aug. 1 to 12, 2022.

When asked if they could keep only one social media or messaging app, the majority chose Facebook (26%), followed by Messenger (24%) and YouTube (13%). Women were found to gravitate toward more visual platforms, while men preferred text-based mediums.

Podcasts were popular in the nation with 56% of Canadian internet users saying they listen to them, and 26% do so once a week.

Meanwhile, nearly one in five residents were found to have more than one personal account on the same social media platform: 45% said it was to keep certain things private while 32% said the reasons varied on each account.

The report also examined the effect and reach of influencers. Nearly one-third of Canadian internet users follow influencers: 66% on Instagram and 44% on YouTube. Meanwhile, 73% of those who follow influencers say they have changed their views on a topic after being exposed to a content creator.

An overwhelming 86% of Canadians have been influenced into visiting a website, 77% have tried something new such as a sport or activity and 74% have started following a brand. More than one-third (37%) of Canadians follow a brand or company on social media.

However, that may have more to do with in-store shopping than brands’ actual online presence: 81% of those who followed a brand did so after setting foot in a store. In terms of unsubscribing from a brand, 60% said it was because the brand was boring, 50% said the brand’s values did not resonate with them and 50% said it reached out too often.

In general, ads were not very well received with 78% of Canadians saying they didn’t like digital advertising. Just over half reported they did, however, like ads that were tailored to their interests and passions.

Despite this, only one in four respondents were open to sharing personal information with advertisers.