Conservative supporters more susceptible to Russian false narratives: report

A large majority of Canadians have been exposed to Russian false narratives about the war in Ukraine — and people who support the Conservative Party are more susceptible to believing Kremlin disinformation, according to a new report.

A survey from DisinfoWatch, part of the MacDonald-Laurier Institute think tank, found that 71 per cent of Canadians polled have heard at least one Russian false narrative and that a substantial portion “believe them to be true or are unsure of their falsehood.”

It also found “Conservative supporters, who report the highest exposure levels to Kremlin narratives, are also more likely to believe in them compared to their Liberal and NDP counterparts.”

The high percentage of Canadians being exposed to the narratives means “Russian disinformation is, in fact, reaching into Canadian homes,” DisinfoWatch director and co-author of the report Marcus Kolga told Global News.

He said the primary purpose “is to erode Canadian support and trust in the government of Ukraine, to slow down the aid we’re sending to Ukraine and to stop the supply of weapons, whether it’s Canada or any of our NATO allies.”

CSIS, Canada’s spy agency, warned the country’s support of Ukraine made it a target for Russian disinformation in its most recent annual public report.

The survey of 2,127 Canadians shows that 25 per cent of Conservative supporters believe Russia is at war because it is trying to defend itself from Ukrainian Nazis. Twenty per cent of Conservative supporters aren’t sure if that’s true, according to the report.

Those are the highest percentages respective to political parties. Only 18 per cent of Liberal supporters believe it’s true and 12 per cent aren’t sure. Just four per cent of NDP supporters believe Russia is