The most recent survey from Modalis Public Opinion by Modus Research finds that practically no Canadians trust artificial intelligence, the companies that use it, and big tech. Canadians are also untrusting of private companies or corporations that provide long-term care.
Key findings in this release:
- Virtually all Canadians are wary of artificial intelligence and big tech
- Canadians are deeply distrustful of bankers and politicians
- Trust for police is down compared to last year
Canadians are deeply distrustful of artificial intelligence and big tech.
Nearly no Canadians – just 5% – are highly trustful of big tech, artificial intelligence, and companies that use artificial intelligence.
Only slightly more trusted are private companies providing long-term care. Unsurprisingly, this number is lowest in Ontario.
There were considerable regional and income differences in trust in Canadian universities: those in Quebec and high-income earners was most trusting.
Canadians do not trust politicians or bankers.
Switching from institutions and organizations to occupations, Canadians consider politicians to be less trustworthy than any other profession, with bankers coming second.
Occupational trust generally aligns with corresponding institutions: trust in university professors and bankers is similar to trust in universities and Canada’s big banks, respectively.
Police officers are less trusted now than they were last year.
Nearly a third of Canadians were highly trusting of the police last year; this number is down to just over a quarter now. Bankers are also less trusted now than they were last year.
Those in Quebec and Alberta were most trusting of the police, as were those over the age of 55. Interestingly, trust in the police dropped from nearly one-half to just over a third in those over 65.
Discussion
Canadians’ nearly-unanimous distrust in big tech is understandable when we consider the way that the industry has violated citizens’ privacy with impunity. Artificial intelligence is also something that Canadians are wary of, as automation poses a threat to jobs and the spread of disinformation.
The mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic from both federal and provincial governments has led to distrust in long-term care, particularly when that care comes with profit-seeking motives from private corporations.
Methodology
The survey was conducted from April 25 to May 3 using the Modalis Public Opinion panel – 100% recruited using random probability telephone sampling. Because the panel is built entirely using random probability sampling, it is valid to cite the margin of error for this survey. The survey is based on a representative sample of 1,631 Canadian adults and has a margin of error of +/- 2.9% points, 95 times out of 100. The survey data is weighted by age, gender, and region according to the latest Statistics Canada census.
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