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The study: Shifting perceptions of misinformation in Canada: Trends in exposure, detection and trust (pdf)

In 2025, 80% of Canadians reported seeing news or information on the Internet that they suspected was misleading, false, or inaccurate at least once a month. These experiences are top of mind for Canadians, with the majority (61%) reporting being "very concerned" or "extremely concerned" about online misinformation in 2025.

A new Insights on Canadian Society study released today by Statistics Canada, entitled "Shifting perceptions of misinformation in Canada: Trends in exposure, detection and trust," examines the sources and platforms through which Canadians access news or information, how often they report encountering misleading information, and whether they find it increasingly difficult to distinguish between true and false information. The study also examines the relationship between misinformation, confidence in the Canadian media, and trust in others.

Key points:

• In 2025, four in five Canadians (80%) saw news or information on the Internet that they suspected to be misleading, false or inaccurate at least monthly.

• Canadians typically obtain news or information from news organizations (66%), close contacts (62%), social media platforms (54%) and television programming (52%).

• For young Canadians aged 15 to 34 years old, social media was the most prevalent source of news or information, at 78%.

• In 2025, nearly half of Canadians (47%) reported that they were finding it harder to distinguish between true and false news or information compared with three years prior.

• More than three in five Canadians (61%) reported being “very” or “extremely” concerned about online misinformation in 2025.

• Those with a great deal of confidence in the Canadian media were less likely to report finding it harder to distinguish between true and false information, compared with those with lower levels of confidence in the Canadian media.