A new report from the Canadian Journalism Foundation shows the relationship between BC residents and news sources has changed since the onset of the pandemic.
The “Keep Well Truth – Research Report” was created after interviews across Canada were conducted, with BC residents accounting for 326 of the 2,013 subjects.
63% of respondents said they are accessing news stories either somewhat or much more often since the pandemic began, while only 10% said they have been paying less attention to the news.
Natalie Turvey, President and Executive Director of the CJF says that the more attention BC residents pay to the news, the more likely they are to get vaccinated.
“People in BC are turning to sources they trust, credible news, brands that they recognize and they’re getting the information they need both on the national and local level to make decisions about their health and their families,” explained Turvey.
As a result, the study showed BC residents are most likely to get vaccinated compared to those living in other provinces.
32% of all respondents across Canada reported being very up-to-date with COVID-19 information and almost half (49%) said they try to keep up with data about the pandemic.
Turvey explained that British Columbians, in particular, showed a very high understanding of how the vaccine works, who the priority populations are and when the vaccine will be available to them.
“This understanding really shows the value of local news and bringing up-to-the-minute information of the communities that it serves,” she noted.
BC residents are also more likely to get their vaccine and virus information from Health Officials, which shows British Columbians are more likely to trust healthcare officials and professionals than other Canadians.
Even though BC residents showed a high understanding of vaccine literacy and eligibility, residents also accounted for one unusual stat as well.
“People in BC surveyed showed that they were the least likely among Canadians to say that they feel confident in their ability to spot misinformation or false information,” explained Turvey.
Meanwhile, those living in Quebec reported being the most confident in their ability to spot misinformation.
Turvey says this is because of the proliferation of vaccine misinformation found online, particularly on social media sites.
“This information has become very sophisticated it can sometimes mimic real news and it is often highly shareable with images which can lead to confusion,” she added.
However, only 11% of total respondents claimed to get virus and vaccine information through Facebook while 4% admitted to getting information on Instagram.
Turvey shared a couple of tips BC residents can use to improve their confidence in their ability to spot misinformation.
“We always encourage people that come across information to pause and if they doubt it to check it with a quick Google search, which can yield a lot of information from that story, so pause before sharing anything,” she added.
Additionally, anyone consuming news media should check the source and journalist to ensure their credibility as well as the date it was published and the legitimacy of the information sourced.