Misinformation

Misinformation is news or information that is inaccurate or misleading. The sharer of misinformation may or may not intend to mislead others. When the information is verifiably false, it is referred to as disinformation.

Misinformation is measured through two sub-indicators, as follows:

• Proportion of the population who have seen information or content on the Internet they considered to be untrue or doubtful.
• Proportion of the population who have taken steps to check the truthfulness of the information or content found on the Internet.

Each component of this indicator is measured differently.

Proportion of the population who have seen information or content on news sites or social media they considered to be untrue or doubtful

This indicator is measured through the Survey on Technology Use by Canadians (STUC). Respondents are asked the following:

During the past three months, have you seen information or content that you considered untrue or doubtful on the Internet?

For example, videos, images, or content, including content generated using artificial intelligence (AI), on social media, news websites, or similar platforms.

• Yes
• No
• Don't know or unsure

Proportion of the population who have taken steps to check the truthfulness of the information or content found on the Internet

This indicator is measured through the Survey on Technology Use by Canadians (STUC). Respondents are asked the following:

Which of the following activities have you done to check the truthfulness of the information or content found on the Internet? Select all that apply.

Did you:

• Check the sources of the information or content
• Check if the information or content was true or false by looking across multiple information sources
• Check the comment section to see what others are saying
• Take part in discussion on the Internet regarding the information
• Discuss the information with other people, friends or family
• Ask generative AI to validate the information or provide a source
• Verified whether the information or content was authentic using fact checking websites, or reverse image search
• Other

Or

• Did not check the truthfulness of the information or content found on the Internet

Misinformation is news or information that is verifiably false or inaccurate. It can affect public trust in institutions, which in turn can have various impacts on social cohesion or civic engagement.

The information landscape has changed dramatically in the past twenty years, with news and information readily available at our fingertips. Research has shown that many Canadians now rely on online platforms as their main source of information. With an increased volume of online information in our current digital era comes greater opportunities for the spread of misinformation.

Survey on Technology Use by Canadians (STUC)

• Data for these indicators will be collected for the first time in the 2026 cycle of the STUC.

For products related to misinformation, including data tables, data visualizations, articles, and other product types, see Analytical releases: Misinformation or view all analytical releases.

How to identify misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation (Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, May 2024)

The Survey on Technology Use by Canadians (STUC) also asks the following:

Why did you not check truthfulness of the information or content found on the Internet? Select all that apply.

Was it:

• No interest or did not care whether the content or information was reliable
• You already knew the information or content was true or false
• Trusted the source of the information or content
• Did not know how to check or it was too complicated
• Other reasons