It’s been a few months since the Canadian news block was implemented across Meta platforms in response to Bill C-18, also known as the Online News Act. So, how do Canadians really feel about the ban?
According to a survey conducted by Leger aimed to measure how Canadians perceive Bill C-18 and its implications on their news consumption, 43 per cent of Canadians support Bill C-18, 31 per cent were opposed, and 26 per cent don’t have enough knowledge to have an opinion.
Fifty-nine per cent, however, believe that Meta should lift the ban on Canadian platforms.
READ MORE: Meta to end news access for all Canadians on Instagram, Facebook within weeks
The online survey gathered the responses from 1,564 Canadians, ages 18 and up, from Sept. 15 to Sept. 17.
The data showed that three quarters of Canadians (75 per cent) are aware of Bill C-18, while a quarter are unaware.
Nearly half, 47 per cent, of Canadians report having seen changes in their online feed since Meta blocked news content.
Now that consuming news on popular platforms such as Instagram and Facebook is limited, Canadians are seeking out alternative news sources. The data found that 22 per cent of Canadians are turning to radio and television for their news, while 20 per cent go to free media websites and applications to access news content.
Only a small percentage of Canadians said they would commit to a paid subscription to access news.
The Online News Act was created by the Canadian government as a way to enhance fairness in the Canadian digital news market by supporting news entities to be fairly compensated for their news content to generate economic gain.
In response to the bill, Meta banned Canadians from viewing news stories on their social media platforms, as of Aug. 1.
