Compared to last year, this year’s 2025 Health and Media Annual Tracking Survey has suggested that there is a three-point increase in the proportion of Canadians who say they avoid the news because it is too negative or overwhelming.
This year’s survey shows that the proportion of people who report they often avoid the news is 20 per cent in 2024, up three percentage points from 2023. Another seven per cent of respondents said they avoid the news “all the time.”
David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, presented the results of this year’s survey, commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), on Tuesday at Canadian Club Toronto.
Angela Pacienza, executive editor of the Globe and Mail, said her organization is very “concerned” about news avoidance and is making changes as a result.
“Last year, we started creating some new beats and … put people in some different roles,” Pacienza said.
For example, Erin Anderssen, a reporter from the Globe who used to cover mental health, is now called a “happiness” reporter.
“It’s still mental health, but we’re coming at it from a more positive viewpoint,” Pacienza said Anderssen’s stories are “phenomenal” and have received lots of comments.
The survey also suggested that the main way people consume news is differentiated by generation. Most Gen Z and Millennials consume news via social media while Gen X and Boomers prefer consuming news on TV.
Apart from news avoidance, health-related misinformation has also contributed to a three percentage point increase in mental distress in life and lower trust in health professionals daily compared to last year.
“One in five Canadians don’t have a high level (of) trust, and that’s still a lot,” Coletto said in his presentation. He said it is “important” to protect the reputation of front line professionals and institutions.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, emphasized the importance of trust in public health and health-care professionals.
When asked about how to restore public trust, Craig Silverman, ProPublica national reporter and misinformation expert, said everyone has “some power” and “some role” on social media.
“The reality is that you making choices about what you’re consuming and also what you are amplifying,” he said.
“There is something you can do on that level, and also how you engage with people in your life. You’re not a neutral consumer.”
The survey was conducted online with 3,727 Canadians from Nov. 12 to 19, 2024. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of this size is +/- 1.96 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
