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- Canada Staying Informed: How You Get the News 2024
This report offers a comprehensive analysis of the changing landscape of news consumption and its impact on marketing strategies in Canada. It explores demographic-specific political preferences and their influence on content strategies, highlighting the shift towards digital news, while recognizing the continued importance of traditional print media. The report examines varied consumption habits across different platforms by age, gender, race and political affiliation, emphasizing the critical role of smartphones.
Addressing challenges in identifying accurate news, particularly among younger demographics, the report stresses the importance of transparency and credibility in news reporting. It also considers the effects of demographic shifts, economic changes and increased diversity on media and brands. Topics such as AI-driven personalization, podcasting, digital transformation, subscription models and local news initiatives are explored.
The report further analyzes the growing role of social media in audience engagement and content promotion. Through rigorous research methodologies, expert insights and comprehensive data, this report is essential for understanding and navigating the complexities of Canadian news consumption and its strategic implications for brands and media organizations.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Political preferences in Canada and their influence on content strategies.
- Diverse news consumption habits: platform preferences, smartphone impact and trends by age, gender, race and political affiliation.
- Shift to digital news consumption.
- Relevance of traditional print media in political engagement.
- Media consumption influenced by political affiliation, age, gender, race and parental status.
- Income’s role in news source preference.
- Challenges in identifying accurate news, especially for younger consumers.
- Importance of transparency, credibility and engagement in news.
- Demographic shifts, economic concerns, post-pandemic savings and diversity’s impact on brands and media.
- AI personalization, podcasting and digital transformation.
- Subscription models for financial sustainability, local initiatives and impartial conflict coverage.
Digital-first strategies, AI personalization and transparency are key to thriving in Canada's evolving news market.
Michael Lloy, Research Analyst
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Executive Summary
- Key issues covered in this report
- Overview
- What you need to know
- Key takeaways
- Market predictions
- Brands have the opportunity to expand digital subscriptions and membership models
- Brands can leveraging AI for content personalization and operational efficiency
- New media formats present radical opportunities for traditional and newer brands alike
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Consumer Insights
- Consumer fast facts
- Demographic breakdown: politics
- Maximizing engagement: tailoring content to Canada's political landscape
- Graph 1: political share of voice, 2024
- Canadian political preferences vary by age: analysis reveals generational divides and opportunities for engagement
- Graph 2: political share of voice, by age, 2024
- The New Democratic Party is a haven for younger women
- Graph 3: political share of voice, 18-34s by gender, 2024
- Students are significantly more likely to vote for left-leaning parties, while also being more hesitant to share their political affiliation
- Graph 4: political share of voice, students vs non-students, 2024
- Understanding the diverse political affiliations of Canada's visible minority communities for effective brand strategy
- Graph 5: political share of voice, by race, 2024
- Newer Canadians are still finding their feet politically
- Graph 6: political share of voice, newer Canadians (<5 years living in Canada) vs overall, 2024
- Higher income households in Canada tend to vote Conservative
- Graph 7: political share of voice, by household income, 2024
- Tailoring content and ads: news preferences
- Canadian news interests: local, global and diverse topics captivate audiences
- Graph 8: news topics interested in following, 2024
- Brands and advertisers should focus on their audience's contextual interests, from political to health and wellness marketing and content
- Sports, entertainment and business news are also key engagement drivers for Canadian audiences
- Older consumers are generally more interested in general news coverage and politics
- Graph 9: news topics interested in following, by age, 2024
- Older men are driving interest in international news and politics
- Graph 10: Canada; interest in international news and politics, over-55s by gender, 2024
- Men are more likely than women to pay more attention to affairs abroad than local ones
- Graph 11: "I pay more attention to international affairs than Canadian ones" (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
- Maximize engagement: tailor health & entertainment marketing to women's interests
- Graph 12: interest in health and entertainment news, women by age, 2024
- Brands can tailoring news content to diverse demographic preferences in Canada
- Graph 13: news topics interested in following, by race, 2024
- City News reported on a health and wellness fair providing resources for Toronto’s Black community.
- News covering international affairs is an excellent way to connect with Canada's ethnic demographics
- Graph 14: "I pay more attention to international affairs than Canadian ones" (% agree), by race, 2024
- Specific news interests fall along political lines
- Graph 15: news topics interested in following (select), by political party affiliation, 2024
- Global News ran coverage of NDP party politics and leader Jagmeet Singh on TikTok
- News platforms may be able to better reach younger consumers by hosting their own non-news media
- Graph 16: "I would consider watching non-news media (eg films and music) that are created by news platforms (eg Lady Ballers from the Daily Caller)," by age, 2024
- Strategic ad-spend: avoiding dead spending
- Most Canadians agree that news coverage is too negative these days
- Graph 17: news coverage is often too negative these days (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
- Brands can combat allegations of negative news coverage with heartwarming and positive stories
- Targeted content key for advertisers as Canadians show selective news engagement
- Graph 18: news topics actively avoided, 2024
- Understanding gender-based news avoidance patterns to enhance content engagement
- Graph 19: news topics actively avoided (select), by gender, 2024
- Conservatives are significantly more liable to avoid entertainment media news than NDP voters
- Graph 20: actively avoiding entertainment media news, by major political affiliation, 2024
- How do consumers get the news
- The vast majority of consumers engage in news consumption, with online being the most frequent channel
- Graph 21: ways in which Canadians get the news, 2024
- Brands and advertisers can leverage news channel data to craft more impactful engagement strategies
- Smartphones are significantly affecting news consumption habits
- Graph 22: "I access all my news from my smartphone," 2024
- Gen Z and younger Millennials are driving smartphone usage for news consumption
- Graph 23: "I access all my news from my smartphone" (% agree), by age, 2024
- Older consumers lean towards traditional news media, while younger consumers look online and to friends
- Graph 24: ways in which Canadians get the news, by age, 2024
- Brands and advertisers are more likely to reach men of all ages on free television channels
- Graph 25: free television news consumption, by age and gender, 2024
- Younger women are significantly more likely to get news from friends and family
- Graph 26: get the news from friends and family, by age and gender, 2024
- News networks and advertisers are significantly more likely to reach Chinese and South Asian consumers online
- Graph 27: ways in which Canadians get the news, by race, 2024
- Online news platforms and advertisers have clear opportunities to engage with Chinese and South Asian consumers via preferred news channels
- Left-leaning audiences are more likely to access news via free television and print
- Graph 28: ways in which Canadians get the news, by political affiliation, 2024
- Higher journalistic standards in print media result in heightened interest in most news topics among print consumers
- Print news readers are more highly-engaged in politics news than other channels
- Graph 29: news topics interested in following (select), by channels used, 2024
- Print news consumers are also more interested in local and international affairs
- Graph 30: news topics interested in following (select), by channels used, 2024
- Print consumers are significantly more interested in business and wellness news
- Graph 31: news topics interested in following (select), by channels used, 2024
- News consumption frequency
- The Canadian news consumption landscape is surprisingly traditional
- Graph 32: frequency of news source usage, 2024
- Graph 33: news sources used at least once per week, 2024
- Canadian news consumption habits have multiple key implications for brands
- The emerging role of influencers
- Philip DeFranco runs a daily news show covering hot news topics
- Online news sources are utilized significantly more often by younger consumers, while older consumers drive traditional traffic
- Graph 34: daily news source usage, by age, 2024
- Brands should pay attention to effective media strategies for targeting different age demographics based on usage habits
- Income plays a significant role in the consumption of certain news sources
- Graph 35: select news sources used (at least once per week), by household income, 2024
- Online platform usage
- The future of news is online
- Fragmented news consumption among Canadian online users, shifting to social media
- Graph 36: online news platforms used, 2024
- Younger consumers are more likely to explore social media and other digital options for news
- Graph 37: online news platforms used, by age, 2024
- Digital platforms are essential for reaching younger Black and South Asian news consumers
- Graph 38: online news platforms used, by race, 2024
- Digital news brands can adopt specific engagement strategies to reach fathers
- Graph 39: online news platforms used, by parental status, 2024
- Political affiliation shapes media consumption
- Graph 40: online news platform usage, by political affiliation, 2024
- A significantly higher percentage of X and YouTube users utilize the platforms for news than other social media platforms
- Graph 41: online news platform usage among users of each platform, 2024
- A significant portion of Canadians value access to news via social media
- Implications of Bill C-18: impact on social media, advertisers, and news platforms
- Trust and social responsibility
- Canadians seek diverse news for unbiased perspectives amid trust gap in traditional media
- However, if traditional news sources aren't careful, alternative news could close the trust gap
- Graph 42: attitudes on alternative vs legacy news sources (% agree), by race, 2024
- Traditional news sources have retained high trust among Canadians – especially from Canadian sources
- Graph 43: trust in news sources, 2024
- Implications and recommendations for advertisers
- Implications and recommendations for traditional news platforms
- Older consumers are more trusting of traditional sources, while younger consumers lean towards social media
- Graph 44: trust in news sources, by age, 2024
- Younger consumers are finding it harder to determine which news stories are accurate
- Graph 45: it's hard to know which news stories are accurate (% agree), by age, 2024
- Women retain significantly higher trust in traditional news media, while men put their trust in their social networks
- Graph 46: trust in news sources, by gender, 2024
- Women typically report having a harder time discerning which news stories are accurate
- Graph 47: it's hard to know which news stories are accurate (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
- Women are also less likely to read a variety of news sources in order to get an unbiased opinion
- Graph 48: "I go out of my way to read a variety of news sources to get an unbiased opinion" (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
- Older men, in particular, feel that it is the duty of journalists to fight injustice
- Graph 49: it is the duty of journalists to fight injustice (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
- Chinese consumers are significantly more trusting of traditional news sources
- Graph 50: trust in news sources, by race, 2024
- South Asian consumers are more likely to visit multiple news sources to help deal with bias
- Graph 51: "I go out of my way to read a variety of news sources to get an unbiased opinion" (% agree), by race, 2024
- Liberal, NDP and Bloq voters place higher trust in Canadian news
- Graph 52: trust in news sources, by political affiliation, 2024
- Liberal voters are typically more confident in their ability to assess news accuracy
- Graph 53: it's hard to know which news stories are accurate (% agree), by political affiliation, 2024
- Conservatives, Green party voters and the politically unaligned want to keep politics out of news coverage
- Graph 54: at the end of the day, news shouldn't have a political slant (% agree), by political affiliation, 2024
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The Market
- Market context
- Adapting to change: how Canadian news brands and advertisers can thrive in a dynamic media landscape
- The impact of Bill C-18 on the Canadian News landscape
- The impact of Bill C-63 on the Canadian news landscape
- Market drivers
- Costs remain elevated for Canadians
- Graph 55: Consumer Price Index, 2020-24
- Rising transportation costs counter trending deceleration
- Inflation continues to be a primary concern for Canadians across all age groups, but it is particularly troubling for older Canadians
- Graph 56: top three concerns over the next six months (% any rank), 2024
- Canadians' higher savings rates persist post-pandemic amid inflation and economic uncertainty
- Graph 57: household savings rate, 2019 – 24
- Canada's demographic shift: the growing importance of genuine diversity in marketing and media
- Graph 58: proportion of visible minority in Canada, 1981 – 2036 (projected)
- Canada's aging population: brands must adapt engagement strategies for growing elderly demographic
- Graph 59: population aged 0-14 and 65+ (2000-40, projected)
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Competitive Strategies
- Launch activity and innovation
- Canadian news organizations embrace digital transformation with AI-driven personalization
- Subscription models: the key to financial sustainability for news organizations
- Renewed focus on local news: building trust and relevance through hyperlocal initiatives
- Canadian news media embraces podcasting to reach younger audiences and adapt to changing consumption habits
- Collaborative journalism elevates Canadian news: CBC, The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star lead the way
- Marketing and advertising
- Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are the most widely utilized platforms on a daily basis
- Graph 60: daily social media usage, by age, 2024
- Brands can find significantly higher engagement on TikTok
- News brands leverage their social platforms to promote original content
- Covering hot-button issues – like food prices – can drive engagement with social audiences
- With tensions high, if news brands are covering international conflicts, impartiality is the standard
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Appendix
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
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