Mis- and Disinformation during the 2021 Canadian Federal Election

Abstract

The Canadian Election Misinformation Project was a civil society and academic partnership that aimed to rapidly identify and respond to mis- and disinformation incidents during the 44th Canadian Federal Election while evaluating the extent to which these incidents impact the attitudes and behaviours of Canadians. It also sought to develop understanding of the types and consequences of misleading and false information circulating in the public sphere in addition to supporting world-class research into the dynamics of the information ecosystem and the broad impacts of misinformation on Canadian democracy.The data shows that: 1) Although there was widespread misinformation during the 2021 Canadian federal election, the overall election was minimally impacted by mis- and disinformation; 2) Most Canadians believe the election was safe from foreign interference and that misinformation played a minimal role in the election; 3) Communities that previously focused on sharing COVID-19 misinformation adopted conspiracy theories about a broader set of topics during the election, including vaccines, climate change, and the integrity of the election; and 4) Nevertheless, a strong majority of Canadians believe that misinformation is a threat to Canadian democracy, polarizes Canadians, and threatens social cohesion.