While Canadians remain quite worried about the impact of COVID-19 on their lives and those of their friends, they place primary trust in the actions taken and advice given by the country’s public health authorities and institutions to guide the country through the pandemic.
That’s one of the conclusions from a Carleton University School of Journalism and Communication survey of the attitudes of 2,000 Canadians to health information and the media conducted by Abacus Data from May 2 to May 8.
Asked to rank a series of sources based on how much they can trust them to provide accurate and credible information about the risks of COVID-19, public health officials came first, the top choice of 37 per cent of respondents.
“Trust in the medical community may be related to the concern that many Canadians have that they will become seriously ill with the virus,” says Christopher Waddell, a professor in the School of Journalism and Communication one of project’s co-investigators.
Waddell conducted this research with fellow School of Journalism and Communication faculty members: Brett Popplewell, Sarah Everts and Josh Greenberg. The survey was done through Abacus Data and funded by the Faculty of Public Affairs. Read the full story here.
Friday, May 22, 2020 in General, Journalism News
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