Kaiser & Partners has released its third annual survey on trust and credibility in news sources showing that across all generations, news from established news media (55%), local experts (36%), public health agencies (32%) and from governments (29%) is considered most credible.
On the other hand, some younger Canadians are still turning to social media for news. A quarter (26%) of Gen Z respondents report they are more likely to trust the validity of news if it has been broadly shared across social media channels.
Canada’s Online News Act Bill C-18 and the ban of media outlets by Meta is reported to be eroding trust in media by a quarter (26%) of Canadians, mostly millennials (31%) and Gen Z (29%).
Baby boomers were found to be twice as likely (68%) than Gen Z (33%) to find established news sources the most credible. Thirty-two percent of the boomer demo also reported viewing information released by governments as credible compared to 23% of Gen Z and millennials.
When it comes to other credible sources, the generations are divided. Gen Z finds public health agencies (11%) less credible than the national average (32%). Gen Z respondents are more likely to assign credibility to content from social media experts (23%) and general social media content (23%) than baby boomers, 7% and 4%, respectively.
Overall, Canadians are looking to online news from traditional media sources (22%) and watching more broadcast TV news (21%) as well as reading more news on social media (15%) compared to last year. These three platforms have witnessed the largest increase in reported year-over-year consumption over the past three years and across generations.
Of the channels they currently use to seek Canadian news, less than a third (31%) of Gen Z reported seeking news from traditional channels with 85% saying they would use social media channels first, notably YouTube (41%), Instagram (38%) and TikTok (33%). Baby boomers report relying on traditional channels (83%) to get their news.
Televised news was the top choice for 46% of all generations, followed by newspapers (print and online 36%) and radio (27%). Baby boomers (68%) are the most likely to turn to televised news sources.
Younger Canadians are consuming more social media content than last year with nearly a quarter (24%) of Gen Z respondents spending more time reading news and information on social media platforms. This increase has accelerated from 2022, when just 9% of Gen Z respondents reported that their social media usage had increased since the previous year.
The survey was conducted by Maru Public Opinion on behalf of Kaiser & Partners was undertaken with 1,532 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Maru Voice Canada online panelists from October 4, 2023, to October 5, 2023. Kaiser & Partners offer strategic, integrated and bilingual public relations services in the areas of marketing communications, corporate communications, digital communications, financial services, technology, and public affairs through offices in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.
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