The average Canadian spends approximately 50 percent of his or her workday on social media but has little to no interest in checking out any posts from the federal government, according to in-house federal research.
The report commissioned by the Privy Council revealed a substantial rise in the use of X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and other platforms over the past decade.
“A very small number commented they seldom used social media or did not use it at all,” said the report, which was obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter. The report’s findings were based on focus groups held in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Quebec.
Focus group participants told researchers they had little interest in following Canadian government social media accounts.
“Very few indicated they would be likely to interact with posts or content from the federal government,” the report said. “Very few reported following the Government of Canada or related accounts belonging to specific departments or agencies.”
While those surveyed said they would use social media to find information about local events or news pertaining to their communities, few said they would use social media to learn more about broader national issues or events, despite the average user spending in the range of three to five hours on social media daily. Some users even described using social media “constantly throughout the day.”
Platforms receiving the most use were Facebook, X, and TikTok, with a smaller number of those surveyed also using LinkedIn, YouTube, and Snapchat. The primary reasons listed for visiting these sites were entertainment and communicating with family and friends.
LinkedIn was primarily used “for professional reasons, including developing skills related to their careers,” according to the report. Facebook and X, however, were used to “frequently react or comment on social media posts from friends, family or public figures and organizations.”
The research was conducted as part of an $814,741 contract with The Strategic Counsel.
The findings of the report reveal a marked difference from Canadians’ media habits nearly a decade ago. A 2015 Department of National Defence study found that the majority of Canadians surveyed (87 percent) said that television was the media they used the most.
The Defence Department study also found Canadians at the time were more likely to read a newspaper than go on Facebook. More than half of respondents (58 percent) said they read the print edition of their weekly paper while only 54 percent used Facebook. Only 10 percent of those surveyed used Twitter at the time.
