Fewer Than Half of Canadians Trust ‘Authoritative Sources’ of Information: Federal Research

The West Block of Parliament Hill is seen through the window of the Sir John A. Macdonald building in Ottawa on May 11, 2022. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Fewer than half of Canadians have a high level of trust in “authoritative sources” of information such as government health agencies, public news sources, and scientists, according to internal research by the federal Privy Council.

The Privy Council report, “Misinformation and Disinformation: An international effort using behavioural science to tackle the spread of misinformation,” studied 1,872 Canadians and their “intentions to share false COVID-related headlines online,” using “behavioural interventions.”