Health misinformation on the rise, Canadian Medical Association survey finds [Video]

A new survey from the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) shows that health misinformation is on the rise, as more Canadians turn to social media for their news over traditional media organizations.

According to the CMA’s annual health and media tracking survey, 62 per cent of respondents said they’ve encountered health information or news that later turned out to be false or misleading — an eight per cent increase compared to the previous year.

Misinformation expert Tim Caulfield says he’s not surprised by the trends in the survey, but is shocked at the degree to which people seemingly believe false things.

“We can’t underplay the degree to which this is a public health issue,” Caulfield told Dr. Brian Goldman, host of CBC podcast The Dose.

Tim Caulfield is a University of Alberta law professor and misinformation expert. His latest book is The Certainty Illusion. (Submitted)

The CMA surveyed more than 3,700 Canadians between Nov. 12 and Nov. 19, 2024, and found …