Canadians who still place the greatest trust in television news are overwhelmingly seniors, according to internal research commissioned by the CRTC, while younger audiences increasingly doubt mainstream media and look elsewhere for information.Blacklock's Reporter says the study found Canadians aged 65 and older were the most satisfied with the quality and depth of analysis provided by Canadian news outlets and were more likely to believe the information they receive is accurate and impartial. By contrast, Canadians 34 and under were the least likely to view mainstream media as factual or unbiased.Only about a third of Canadians overall — 36% — said they were satisfied with the quality of information and depth of analysis offered by Canadian news media, according to the Public Opinion Research Tracker: Wave Four. Younger respondents were far more likely to say their primary source of news is online social media, including video and audio platforms.The findings are based on questionnaires completed by 2,367 Canadians nationwide. The CRTC paid $248,988 for the research, which was conducted by Ipsos Limited..Older Canadians, particularly those 55 and up, were much more likely to report that regular television remains their main source of news and information. This group also expressed higher satisfaction with the news content they consume compared with younger Canadians, the report said.The research was designed to measure public attitudes toward broadcasting, internet, and telecommunications services and to track issues the CRTC considers strategically important.The release of the data follows a 2025 report from the Department of Canadian Heritage warning of an aging audience for subsidized television services. One example cited was the French-language channel TV5, which averaged a viewer age of 62. The report said the aging audience presents serious challenges for the channel’s long-term viability.While traditional television continues to operate, the report concluded its future is increasingly uncertain as fewer Canadians watch it. .Younger viewers are cancelling subscriptions or never signing up at all.Between 2019 and recent years, the share of households with only a traditional television subscription fell from 65% to 15%. Over the same period, households subscribing to both traditional television and a video-on-demand service rose from 21% to 51%, while those relying solely on video-on-demand jumped from 4% to 27%.
