Analyse du rôle de la mésinformation lors de l'élection provinciale québécoise de 2022

Résumé analytique

The Quebec Election Disinformation Project set out to identify and assess the spread and effects of false information circulating during the 2022 Quebec provincial election, to examine how misinformation was covered in the media, and to gauge citizens' perceptions of the phenomenon. It combined human and automated monitoring of election-related social media posts with representative pre- and post-election surveys of the Quebec population, measuring exposure to true and false news and perceptions of the information environment and electoral integrity.

Although a relatively large volume of misinformation circulated during and after the campaign, notably around COVID-19 and electoral integrity, it stayed concentrated within a small, distrustful, conspiracy-minded online community and had little reach or influence beyond it. Apart from a widely publicized erroneous statement by the outgoing immigration minister, the average Quebecer was little exposed. The analysis found no reason to believe misinformation significantly affected the outcome, and a strong majority of citizens continued to trust the election's integrity, though more believed they were exposed to misinformation than in the 2021 federal election.

Public discourse itself bred confusion: nearly half of Quebecers surveyed found it hard to tell misinformation from fact. The information environment is also fragmenting, with TikTok an important source of political information and misinformation, especially among the youngest, and false content spreading across mainstream and alternative platforms alike.