A couple of interesting takeaways on information and trust from a recent study done by the Canadian Medical Association and Abacus data:

• The most interesting news topic for Canadians is local news, followed by health news.
• The 2nd most dominant source of news for Canadians is social media. It’s the top source for Gen-Z.
• Despite the popularity of social media, it’s the least trusted source of accurate health news and info.
• 55% of Canadians say they have encountered health information or news that they later found was misleading.
• 72% of Canadians think health related misinformation is here to stay or getting worse.
• The most trusted source of accurate health info, not surprisingly, is getting it directly from physicians, pharmacists, and nurses.

The conclusion of the report is that “with the rise in mis- and disinformation, especially on social media, physicians and the medical community have an opportunity to provide Canadians with credible news about their health system.”

Seems like something that could apply to experts in other fields too.

Source: https://www.cma.ca/latest-stories/fighting-health-misinformation-survey-shows-medical-professionals-among-most-trusted-news-sources