A recent survey reveals that the majority of Canadians believe that news should be easily accessible and free for everyone, while also expressing confidence that media outlets will find alternative revenue sources. Leger, a leading research firm, conducted a national online survey of 1,564 individuals over the weekend to gauge public opinion regarding the Liberal government’s Online News Act. This legislation, set to go into effect later this year, mandates that digital giants like Google compensate news organizations for content shared or repurposed on their platforms.
Approximately 75% of respondents stated that they were aware of the Online News Act, formerly known as Bill C-18. Of those, 34% believed that the legislation is beneficial, as it assists media outlets in competing with tech giants for advertising dollars. Meta’s decision to remove news from its social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, in response to the bill, generated discontent among survey respondents. In fact, 59% of participants agreed that Meta should restore access to news, while only 12% supported Meta’s protest against the legislation.
Christian Bourque, the executive vice president at Leger, noted that the interesting aspect of this situation is that there isn’t much opposition to the bill itself. Rather, people are opposed to the potential limitations on accessing news whenever and wherever they want. The survey findings indicate that roughly two-thirds of Canadians believe that news should be freely accessible, with struggling media outlets having alternative revenue streams. This sentiment is particularly high among 18 to 34-year-olds, who primarily consume news through social media platforms. Bourque attributes this perspective to the nature of the internet, where people expect universal access to information, and social media platforms have delivered that expectation for “free.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has frequently claimed that Meta is not fulfilling its responsibilities by failing to “pay their fair share,” choosing instead to remove local news from its platforms instead of negotiating agreements with publishers, as required by the law. The survey highlights that 43% of Canadians support the Online News Act, while 31% are opposed, and 26% lack sufficient knowledge to form an opinion.
It is important to note that online surveys, such as this one, cannot be assigned a margin of error, as they do not utilize random sampling of the population, according to the Canadian Research Insights Council, the professional body for the polling industry.
News organizations have historically relied on subscribers, viewers, and advertisers to generate revenue. However, in recent years, these revenue streams have dwindled. According to the Canadian Media Concentration Research Project, Google and Facebook collectively accounted for 79% of the estimated $12.3 billion in online advertising revenue in 2021, along with over half of the total advertising spending across all media platforms. News Media Canada reports that advertising revenue for community newspapers in the country has declined from $1.21 billion in 2011 to $411 million in 2020, resulting in the closure or merger of nearly 300 papers during this period.
Regarding alternative revenue sources for media outlets, the survey suggests that respondents believe that media organizations will find other ways to generate income. However, the survey does not provide specifics on what those other sources could be. Notably, almost half (47%) of Canadians observed the removal of news by Meta, with even higher percentages among Quebecers (54%) and those who primarily rely on social media for news (59%). As a result, respondents are seeking news from alternative outlets, such as television, radio, free media websites, apps, and other social media platforms like Reddit and X (formerly Twitter). Only a small portion (6%) of respondents expressed willingness to pay for news subscriptions to access news directly.
– The Canadian Press
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