The COVID-19 pandemic caused Canadians to have an “increased distrust of government and science,” according to a Public Health Agency (PHA) report. .According to Blacklock’s Reporter, only 22% of the people surveyed said they were more likely to trust federal agencies..“In discussion around how their trust in information sources had been affected by their pandemic experience, there were few who indicated their trust in any source had increased and many who indicated having lost trust,” said a PHA report The Impact of the Pandemic Experience on Future Vaccine-Related Intentions and Behaviour..“Some non-healthcare professionals felt less trust in one level of government or another,” wrote researchers. .“This much was echoed by healthcare professionals who indicated their patients’ trust in at least one level of government had waned. Healthcare professionals explained information from the government was fast-evolving, not always clear and at times contradictory.”.“Asked what the remedy might be for restoring trust, participants suggested being honest and admit your mistakes,” said the report. .“People want factual, balanced, unbiased and politically neutral information that includes source attribution.”.Findings were based on questionnaires with 2,088 Canadians and 16 focus groups nationwide. The PHA paid $171,545 for the study by Earnscliffe Strategy Group..“A recurring theme in conversations was trust in various levels of government, in particular among non-healthcare professionals,” said the report. About a fifth of Canadians, 17%, said they were less likely to trust the Government of Canada than before the pandemic..A 2022 Privy Council research report found 42% of Canadians had a high degree of trust in the federal government. The study Misinformation and Disinformation found Canadians placed more trust in their family, friends, and social media than the Government of Canada..“Who believes and spreads misinformation in the first place and why?” asked the report. .“Do our interventions work similarly for different sub-groups of people?”.“Relying solely on traditional top-down approaches that aim to regulate content are insufficient at limiting the immediate dangers of misinformation,” wrote researchers. .“Innovative policy-making tools such as behavioural science can help provide immediate and long-term solutions to misinformation.”.“On average institution-trusting respondents are significantly older, more educated and have higher income,” wrote researchers. .Thirty-five percent were defined as “high social media trusting” meaning they had more faith “in social media, family and friends” than in government announcements.
