Mis- and Disinformation During the 2021 Canadian Federal Election
Aengus Bridgman, Mathieu Lavigne, Melissa Baker, Thomas Bergeron, Danielle Bohonos, Anthony Burton, Katharine McCoy, Mackenzie Hart, Robert Hiltz, Rupinder Liddar, Pangying Peng, Christopher Ross, Jaclyn Victor, Taylor Owen, Peter Loewen
Key findings:
Although there was widespread misinformation during the 2021 Canadian federal election, the overall election was minimally impacted by mis- and disinformation;
Most Canadians believe the election was safe from foreign interference and that misinformation played a minimal role in the election;
Communities that previously focused on sharing COVID-19 misinformation adopted conspiracy theories about a broader set of topics during the election, including vaccines, climate change, and the integrity of the election;
Nevertheless, a strong majority of Canadians believe that misinformation is a threat to Canadian democracy, polarizes Canadians, and threatens social cohesion.
April 2022 — “Mis- and Disinformation During the 2021 Canadian Federal Election” is the final report of the Canadian Election Misinformation Project. The project was a civil society and academic partnership that aimed to rapidly identify and respond to mis- and disinformation incidents during the 2021 Canadian Federal Election while evaluating the extent to which these incidents impact the attitudes and behaviours of Canadians. It also sought to develop understanding of the types and consequences of misleading and false information circulating in the public sphere in addition to supporting world-class research into the dynamics of the information ecosystem and the broad impacts of misinformation on Canadian democracy.
About the Media Ecosystem Observatory
The Media Ecosystem Observatory is an interdisciplinary research initiative dedicated to analyzing the complex web of online harms and digital threats to democracy, while actively working to safeguard against them.
About The Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy
The Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy is McGill’s focal point on critical research and public debate about the role of media and emerging technologies in shaping democracy and public life, pioneering research and policy activism on the interplay between media and technology and its relationship to public life and democracy. Directed by Taylor Owen, Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications, Associate Professor at the Max Bell School, and a leading voice in technology governance in Canada, the Centre is committed to public-facing work through a range of reports, events, podcasts and workshops aimed at translating cutting-edge research for broad public audiences and policymakers.
About the Policy, Elections, and Representation Lab (PEARL)
Led by Professor Peter Loewen, the Policy, Elections, and Representation Lab (PEARL) is a team of political scientists at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. PEARL’s mission is to deliver timely, academically rigorous, and publicly relevant research that answers three big questions: How do individuals make decisions about politics? How do politicians make policy and represent citizens? And how is technology changing governance and politics?