Nearly one-third of Canadians have taken medical advice they found online over recommendations from their doctors, according to a new survey.
Conducted by Ottawa-based polling firm Abacus Data and commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association, the survey found 51 per cent of this group appear to be “highly susceptible to online misinformation.”
As well the survey found that more than a third of Canadians polled say they avoided effective health treatments because of false information, up six percentage points from a 2024 poll.
And an increasing number of Canadians (43%) are experiencing mental distress or increased anxiety because of misinformation.
Further more, 37 per cent of those surveyed said poor access to health care and information has led them to trying medical advice found online
And 23 per cent have had an adverse reaction or negative health impact from following health advice found online.
The survey was conducted online with 3,727 Canadians (including an oversample of Gen Z and French respondents) from Nov. 12–19, 2024. The margin of error is +/- 1.96%, 19 times out of 20.
In a live-streamed Jan. 21 panel discussion, titled “How healthy is Canada’s information environment? Action in the face of misinformation,” CMA president Dr. Joss Reimer, Abacus Data founder David Coletto, Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam and three media professionals from CBC, the Globe and Mail and ProPublica analyzed the survey results and shared their perspectives on the intersections of health and media.
The panel, at the Canadian Club in Toronto, took place the same day the 2024 survey results were released.
“The survey is really sobering,” Reimer said. “It shows us (in numbers) something that anyone who works in health has been feeling.”
Canadians are being bombarded with misinformation, while at the same time, not being able to access health care.
— Dr. Joss Reimer, president, Canadian Medical Association
According to Reimer, health misinformation is a double-barreled issue, especially among Gen Z society’s first fully “digital native” generation born between 1997 and 2012.
“Canadians are being bombarded with misinformation, while at the same time, not being able to access health care,” said Reimer. “Thirty-seven per cent of (Canadians) who answered that survey told us that because they don’t have that access, they’re going online.”
The answers Canadians are seeking online, Reimer said, can expose them to pre-existing health misinformation.
“I don’t think any other generation has ever had both of these two issues combined in such a way,” Reimer added.
In 2024, Gen Z reported experiencing health misinformation online 70 per cent of the time, an eight-per-cent increase from the previous year, according to the survey. Members of Gen Z ranked second among generations having the highest exposure to health misinformation.
In Ottawa, different local health centres are doing their part in fighting health misinformation including the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre which began its “Health Promotion Information Series” this year.
In an email statement, Alphadyo Balde, a medical office assistant at the centre, said the events are meant for community members to meet with others, access health information resources and hear from experts.
“Our hope is to increase access to information and support, translate relevant health knowledge . . . and to empower people to take care of their health,” said Balde.
When it comes to misinformation, Marie-Eve Carignan, a communications professor at Sherbrooke University, said the way health authorities sometimes communicate complex medical information to the public can be problematic.
“People don’t always have good health literacy and (health institutions) need to be aware of who they are talking to,” she said.
Carignan says jargon-filled science information adds unnecessary language barriers. This often sends Canadians seeking answers online, exposing them to misinformation.
Carignan suggests experts focus on meaningful engagement rather than one-way communication.
“Many public health departments push their messages, but they don’t really interact with people,” she said. “That’s a big problem because it leaves space for a lot of misinformation in online commentary.”
While Carignan acknowledges the need for clearer communication from health authorities, she says solving the misinformation issue will take a collective effort.
If you think about it, the level of information that is poured in is just staggering at this stage, and if you remove fact-checking … what you have is noise.
— Ma’n Zawati, associate professor in the human genetics, McGill University
“It’s a shared responsibility — everyone has to try their best to manage this situation and find solutions,” she said.
Ma’n Zawati, an associate professor in the human genetics department at McGill University, shares the same sentiments. But he says the government needs to do more.
“It’s something that needs to come from a governmental mandate,” Zawati said, “because (misinformation) is literally at the tip of your fingers.”
Meanwhile, social media giants like Meta are not helping the matter, notes Zawati.
He said Meta’s recent decision to remove fact-checkers from its platforms is a cause for concern within the health community.
“If you think about it, the level of information that is poured in is just staggering at this stage, and if you remove fact-checking … what you have is noise,” he said.
“You can’t really build much with noise.”
