Canadians Believe Social Media is Fake
Toronto, June 25th – In a random sampling of public
opinion taken by The Forum Poll™ among 1619 Canadians, one-fifth of respondents
(21%) don’t use social media at all, one-fifth of respondents (21%) use it less
than thirty minutes a day, one-fifth (20%) use it more than thirty minutes but
less than an hour, one fifth (20%) use it between one hour and two hours, one-tenth
(9%) use it more than two hours but less than three, and another tenth (10%)
use it 3 hours or more.
Respondents more likely to not use social media include those aged
65 and over (44%), males (23%), those earning less than $20,000 (27%) and
$20,000-$40,000 (26%), and those living in Quebec (27%).
Respondents more likely to use social media less than thirty minutes
include those aged 55 to 64 (28%), males (23%), earning $80,000-$100,000 (25%),
those with post-graduate degrees (25%), those living in Manitoba/Saskatchewan
(29%), more likely not to use social media everyday (75%), and most likely to
spend their time using LinkedIn (63%).
Respondents more likely to use social media the most (3 hours+)
include those aged 18 to 34 (21%), females (12%), those earning less than
$20,000 (18%), those with secondary school or less (14%) and those who
completed college or university (11%), are more likely to use social media more
than 10 times per day (42%), and are more likely to use Snapchat (25%).
Younger
respondents and Snapchat users use social media more frequently per day
One-sixth of respondents (15%) don’t look at social media every day,
another sixth (16%) look at social media once per day, one-third of respondents
(33%) look at social media 2-5 times a day, one-fifth (19%) use social media
6-10 times per day, another fifth (18%) use social media more than 10 times per
day.
Those not likely to use social media every day include those aged 65
and over (30%), earning less than $20,000 (19%) and $20,000 to $40,000 (18%),
those living in British Columbia (18%), Alberta (17%), and
Manitoba/Saskatchewan (17%), are more likely to use social media less than 30
minutes (42%), and those more likely to use LinkedIn (39%) and Pinterest (38%)
the most.
Those more likely to use social media more frequently (10 times plus
per day) include those aged 18 to 34 (32%), those earning less than $20,000
(25%) and $80,000 to $100,00 (20%), those living in Atlantic Canada (25%) and
Alberta (24%), are more likely to use social media for 3 hours or more (60%),
and those more likely to use Snapchat (38%).
Those
less likely to post on social media check LinkedIn the most
One-fifth of respondents (19%) never post on social media, one-third
(30%) post every few months, one-fifth (22%) post every few weeks, another
fifth (17%) post weekly, one-tenth (9%) post daily, and a few (4%) post
multiple times per day.
Those more likely to never post include those aged 65 and over
(35%), those living in Manitoba/Saskatchewan (23%), Ontario (20%), Quebec
(21%), those who use social media less than 30 minutes (34%),those who do not
to use social media every day (41%), those who use Pinterest (40%) the most and
Linkedin (37%) the most.
Those more likely to post every few weeks include those aged 35 to
44 (27%), those living in Atlantic Canada (27%) and British Columbia (25%), those
more likely to check social media 5 times per day (27%), and those more likely
to look at Twitter (27%), Instagram (25%), and Pinterest (26%).
Facebook
is used by older Canadians and Instagram is used by younger Canadians
A majority of respondents (59%) use Facebook the most, one-sixth
(15%) use Instagram the most, one-tenth (8%) use Twitter the most, another
tenth (7%) use something else, and a few use LinkedIn (4%), Snapchat (3%),
Pinterest (3%), and Tumblr (1%).
Those more likely to use Facebook include those aged 55 to 64 (72%)
and 65 and over (72%), females (63%), those earning $20,000 to $40,000 (69%),
those living in Quebec (76%), those more likely to use social media 30 to 59
minutes (66%) and 1 to 2 hours (64%), and those more likely to check social
media 2 to 5 times per day (65%).
Those more likely to use Instagram include those aged 18 to 34
(29%), those living in Ontario (19%), British Columbia (19%), and Atlantic
Canada (17%), those more likely to use social media 2 to 3 hours (27%), and those
more likely to check social media 6 to 10 times per day (22%) or more than 10
times (22%).
Highly
educated respondents are less likely to trust social media
Most respondents (BTM2:
65%) do not trust social media with one-third (34%) saying they trust it a
little and another third (32%) saying not at all. The third (TOP2: 31%) that
does trust social media a few (4%) trust it a lot and almost a third (27%)
trust it somewhat. A few (4%) are not sure.
Those less likely to
trust social media include those aged 18-34 (67%), 55 to 64 (67%), and 65 and
over (70%), males (67%), respondents with some college or university and above
(68% of those with some college or university, 65% of those who completed
college or university, and 66% of those with post-graduate degrees), those
living in Atlantic Canada (68%), Ontario (70%), and Manitoba/Saskatchewan
(68%), those who do not use social media at all (86%), those who do not to use
it every day (81%), and those who use Instagram (71%), Snapchat (70%), and
Pinterest (71%).
Those more likely to
trust social media include those aged 35 to 44 (39%), those earning $80,000 to $100,000 (37%) and $20,000
to $40,000 (35%), those with secondary school or less (36%), those living in
Quebec (39%), those who use social media for 2 to 3 hours (51%), use social
media more than 10 times per day (49%), and use LinkedIn (41%), Facebook (40%),
and Twitter (40%).
Half
say Facebook is half true and half fake news
One-third of
respondents (BTM2: 33%) think that what they see on Facebook is fake news, with
less than a third (26%) saying it is mostly fake news and a few (7%) saying it’s
all fake news. About a half (55%) of respondents say it’s about half true and
half fake news and one-tenth (13%) say news on Facebook is true with a tenth (11%) saying mostly true and a
few (2%) saying it’s all true.
Those more likely to
say what they see on Facebook is fake news include those aged 18-34 (37%),
males (37%), those earning $40,000 to $60,000 (38%), those with post-graduate
degrees (39%), those who don’t use social media at all (51%), and those who use
Instagram (43%) and Snapchat (40%).
Those more likely to
say what they see on Facebook is not fake news include those aged 55 and over
(16% of those 55 to 64 and 17% of those 65 and over), those with some college
or university (18%) and with secondary school or less (16%), those living in Atlantic
Canada (18%), those that use social media once per day (20%) or not every day
(18%), and use Snapchat (19%), LinkedIn (16%), and Facebook (16%).
Those more likely to
say it’s about half true and half fake news include those aged 35 to 44,
females (59%), those earning $60,000 to $80,000 (62%) and $20,000 to $40,00
(59%), those who completed college or university (59%), those living in Quebec
(59%) and British Columbia (56%), spend between 30 minutes to two hours (63% of
those who spend between 30 minutes to 1
hour and 64% of those who spend between 1 to 2 hours), check social media 6 to 10 times per day (67%),
and use Facebook (63%).
Half
say Twitter is half true and half fake news
One-third (BTM2: 34%) say Twitter is filled with fake news, with a
little over one-fifth (26%) saying it’s mostly fake news and a few (8%) saying it’s
all fake news. One-sixth (TOP2: 15%) say it’s not filled with fake news with a
tenth (12%) saying it’s mostly true and a few (3%) saying it’s all true. Half
of respondents (51%) say Twitter is about half true and half fake news.
Those more likely to say Twitter is filled with fake news include
those aged 65 and over (44%), males (36%), those with post-graduate degrees
(38%), those living in British Columbia (45%), those who do not use social
media (52%), those who do not use social media everyday (38%), and those who
use Snapchat (45%) the most.
Those more likely to say Twitter is not filled with fake news
include those with some college or university (19%), those living in Atlantic
Canada (24%), use social media for 2 to 3 hours (22%), use social media 10 times
(16%) and more than 10 times (19%), and mainly use Twitter (27%).
Those more likely to say Twitter is half true and half fake news
include those aged 35 to 44 (56%) and 45 to 54 (56%), females (53%), those
living in Quebec (55%) and Alberta (55%), those who use social media 10 times (63%),
and those who mostly use Twitter (61%) and LinkedIn (60%).
Half
say Instagram is half true and half fake news
One-third (BTM 2: 35%)
of respondents think Instagram is filled with fake news with a little over
one-fifth (26%) saying it’s mostly fake news and one-tenth (9%) saying it’s all
fake news. One-sixth of respondents (TOP2: 15%) say Instagram is not filled
with fake news, with one-tenth (13%) saying it’s mostly true and a few (2%)
saying it’s all true. Half of respondents (50%) think that what they see on
Instagram is about half true and half fake news.
Those most likely to
say Instagram is filled with fake news include those aged 65 and over (39%),
those who completed college or university (37%) and those with post-graduate
degrees (38%), those living in British Columbia (41%), those who don’t use
social media at all (52%), those who do not use social media every day (37%),
and those most likely to use Twitter (37%) and Pinterest (35%).
Those more likely to
say Instagram is not filled with fake news include those aged 18-34 (19%),
earning less than $20,000 (26%), those with secondary school or less (21%),
those living in Atlantic Canada (25%), those who use social media for 2 or more
hours (26% of those who use social media for 2 to 3 hours and 25% of those who
use social media for more than 3 hours, those who check social media 10 times
per day (22%) or more (19%), and those more likely to use Instagram (29%) more
than other social media.
Those more likely to
say Instagram is about half true and half fake include those aged 35 to 44
(53%) and 45 to 54 (55%), those earning $60,00 to $80,000 (55%) and $80,000 to
$100,000 (56%), those who live in Quebec (54%) and Manitoba/Saskatchewan (52%),
those who use social media between 30 minutes to an hour (58%) and between 1 to
2 hours (59%), those who check 10 times a day (56%) or more (54%), and those
mostly use LinkedIn (60%) or Snapchat (57%).
Non-social media users are more likely
to say Snapchat is fake news
About 4-in-10 (BTM2: 43%) say they think Snapchat is fake news.
Almost a third (29%) say it is mostly fake news and about a seventh (14%) say
it is all fake news.
Those who are most likely to say that Snapchat is fake news are
between 45 to 54 (44%), 65 and older (47%), the least wealthy (41%), earning
between $40,000 to $60,000 (41%), $60,000 to $80,000 (44%), $80,000 to $100,000
(43%), the most wealthy (42%), the most educated (54%), living in the Prairies
(53%) or British Columbia (47%), those who do not use social media at all
(58%), and those who most frequently use Pinterest (55%).
About a seventh (TOP2: 15%) say news on Snapchat is mostly true or
all true and about 4-in-10 (42%) say the news on Snapchat is about half true
and half fake news.
Half are divided on Google when it comes
to fake news
Nearly half (46%) say they think Google is about half true and half
fake news. Those who are most likely to say that Google is about half true and
half fake news are between 18 to 34 (44%), 45 to 54 (50%), 55 to 64 (49%), 65
and older (46%), earning between $40,000 to $60,000 (49%), $60,000 to $80,000
(52%), the most wealthy (47%), those who do not use social media at all (46%),
use it for less than thirty minutes per day (47%), more than 30 minutes per day
but less than an hour (50%), or use it for 3 hours or more per day (51%), and
those who post on social media 10 times per day (55%).
About 4-in-10 (TOP2: 39%) say news on Google is mostly true or all
true and about a seventh (15%) say the news on Google is mostly fake news or
all fake news.
Divided when it comes to government
regulations for social media
Nearly half (BTM2: 45%) say they disagree that the government should
regulate social media, with about a fifth (17%) saying they somewhat disagree
and almost 3-in-10 (28%) saying they strongly disagree.
About 4-in-10 (TOP2: 43%) say the government should regulate social
media and about one-in-10 (12%) say they don’t know.
55% in favour of laws restricting “fake
news”
Majority (TOP2: 55%) say they are in favour of laws restricting
“fake news” from being published on social media sites or elsewhere, with a
fifth (20%) saying they are somewhat in favour and over a third (34%) saying
they are strongly in favour.
Those who are most likely to say they are in favour are those aged
35 to 44 (61%), 45 to 54 (57%), 55 to 64 (56%), those earning between $60,000
to $80,000 (63%), $80,000 to $100,000 (59%), the most wealthy (57%), those who
have completed college or university (60%), the most educated (61%), living in
Quebec (63%) or British Columbia (57%), those who use social media for less
than thirty minutes per day (57%), more than thirty minutes but less than an
hour (53%), between one hour and two hours (59%), and more than two hours but
less than three hours (57%), post on social media once per day (54%), 5 times
per day (58%), and most frequently use Facebook or Twitter (59%), Pinterest
(57%), or LinkedIn (63%).
About a third (BTM2: 34%) say they are opposed to laws restricting
“fake news” from being published on social media sites and one-in-10 (11%)
saying they don’t know.
Influencers are not-so influential when
it comes to purchasing decisions
Majority (87%) of social media influencers or celebrity endorsements
do not play a big part in influencing their purchasing decisions. Those who are
most likely to say this are those aged 35 to 44 (88%), 45 to 54 (88%), 55 to 64
(90%), or 65 and older (90%), those earning between $20,000 to $40,000 (87%), $40,000
to $60,000 (90%) $60,000 to $80,000 (86%), $80,000 to $100,000 (92%), or the
most wealthy (92%), those who do not use social media at all (89%), use social
media for less than thirty minutes per day (90%), more than thirty minutes but
less than an hour (89%), or between one hour and two hours (90%) per day, do
not post on social media everyday (85%), post on social media once per day
88%), 5 times per day (91%) or 10 times per day (91%), and most frequently use
Facebook (90%), Pinterest (88%), LinkedIn (91%), or something else (85%).
About 1-in-10 (13%) say social media influencers or celebrity
endorsements play a big part in influencing their purchasing decisions.
A third check social media before getting
out of bed
Three-in-ten (30%) say they check social media before getting out of
bed, while almost three-quarters (75%) say they don't.
A third check social media before bed
A third (33%) say they check social media before going to bed, while
about two-thirds (67%) say they do not.
A third says social media has affected a
relationship
A third (32%) say
social media has affected their relationship with a friend, family member, or a
romantic interest, while two-thirds (68%) say it hasn't.
“Age is a predominant predictor of social media usage,” said Dr.
Lorne Bozinoff, President of Forum Research. “Younger respondents are more
likely to use Instagram, more likely to say they’ve seen fake news, and more
likely to use social media frequently. There is a healthy skepticism about
social media, and more than half of Canadians say they would support laws
restricting fake news.”
