A new survey reveals that 51 per cent wonder how they will stay informed now that Meta is blocking links to Canadian news stories, and nearly two-thirds of Canadians aged 18 to 34 wonder how they will access news.
The survey, by communications agency Talk Shop, sheds light on how Canadians are adjusting and where they are getting their news. It seems many are turning to the same sources they utilized in the past, like tuning in to the radio, watching the news on TV, or buying a physical copy of the local paper.
The top source of information is news websites. Fifty-six per cent of those polled between August 28 and 30 said they were visiting those, while 52 per cent were using social media, and 47 per cent were watching TV news.
Younger consumers are relying more on the internet than their older counterparts. Those 18 to 34 stay on top of what's going on through social media, while 65 per cent of Canadians 55 and older get news from TV.
"There is no question that Bill C-18 will have an unintended impact on media consumption," said Managing Partner Katie Stevens. "We anticipate consumer loyalty surrounding chosen or preferred outlets will intensify."
The intention behind Bill C-18 was to force social media giants like Google and Meta to compensate news organizations for the content they produce. Instead, Meta chose to block those links. Google will do the same by the end of the year.
Talk Shop polled 1,505 members of the Angus Reid Forum.
The survey has a margin of error of +/-2.5 percentage points 19 times out of 20.