.... reflect disinformation online: experts.   
   ________________   
      
   You rightwing haters and Cons - Vermin/Byker/AlleyCat/Carr . . . can take a   
   bow.   
   You're part of the lies and efforts of the rabid right wing.  And this poll   
   was done by a right-leaning pollster, Angus Reid.   
      
   Here's to you:   
   _________________   
      
   CBC News · Posted: Oct 11, 2019   
      
   Current level of misinformation described as unique   
      
   Canadians' misperceptions about immigration reflect disinformation online:   
   experts Social Sharing   
      
      
   When asked where most immigrants to Canada come from, a majority of Canadians   
   get it wrong. In fact, many Canadians hold a number of misperceptions about   
   the immigration system, according to a new public opinion poll published this   
   week by the Angus Reid    
   Institute.   
      
   Given the amount of online disinformation about Canada's immigration system,   
   that might come as no surprise.   
      
   False claims about how much financial support new immigrants get, the number   
   of immigrants coming to Canada and the process for seeking asylum have all   
   circulated widely online in the months leading up to the election. Experts say   
   this may be playing a    
   role in forming misperceptions.   
      
   The poll suggested that most Canadians are misinformed about the nature of   
   immigration in Canada. A majority of respondents — 64 per cent — said most   
   immigrants coming to Canada are from North Africa and the Middle East. In   
   fact, only 12 per cent of    
   immigrants come from those regions.   
      
   Most of Canada's immigration comes from South Asia and Southeast Asia. Just 29   
   per cent of those polled chose South Asia as the source of most immigrants,   
   while 27 per cent picked Southeast Asia.   
      
   Canadians also greatly overestimated the percentage of immigrants who are   
   refugees. Refugees make up just 15 per cent of all immigrants — Angus Reid   
   said the average response from those polled was that 30 per cent of all   
   immigrants were refugees. They    
   also underestimated the percentage coming as economic immigrants (i.e.   
   qualifying to come work in Canada, as opposed to refugees or family   
   reunification).   
      
   "From a data standpoint, we did not ask 'where are you getting these   
   perceptions from?'" Shachi Kurl, executive director of the Angus Reid   
   Institute, told CBC News.  "But to see such significantly outsized   
   misconceptions and misperceptions, to have the    
   perception so disengaged from the reality, this isn't something that simply   
   just popped up in the last few weeks.  This has to be something that's been   
   baked in for quite a while."   
      
   Part of the heightened interest in immigration in Canada over the last few   
   years is likely due to the Syrian refugee crisis, the increase in irregular   
   border crossings, and the debate over the United Nations Global Compact for   
   Migration, according to    
   Craig Damian Smith, director of the Global Migration Lab at the Munk School of   
   Global Affairs and Public Policy in Toronto.   
      
      
   Misinformation on the rise   
      
   "Misperceptions about immigration levels and about refugees are quite a broad   
   phenomenon across immigration states like liberal democracies in Europe and   
   the United States," Smith said. "But the current level of misinformation   
   coming out around    
   immigration issues is unique."   
      
   Online, immigration has been a major focus of disinformation campaigns in   
   Canada. Over the past few months, popular online stories and memes have made a   
   number of false claims about the immigration system.   
      
   One claimed that Canada was "begging" African nations for millions of   
   immigrants.  Others misrepresented the benefits immigrants are able to access   
   in Canada, claiming they were getting more money than they do and that they   
   receive more financial    
   assistance than pensioners, which is untrue.   
      
   There have also been attempts to stoke fears over voter fraud, including   
   suggesting new immigrants who are not yet Canadian citizens will be able to   
   vote in the upcoming election.   
      
   These inaccurate claims are often focused on refugees and immigrants from   
   Middle Eastern countries in particular and are shared widely online through   
   social media.     
      
   The posts are often laced with overt xenophobic or Islamphobic tones, such as   
   claiming Liberal leader Justin Trudeau is a "secret Muslim" who wants to enact   
   Sharia Law in Canada—a common claim among disinformation posts.   
      
   "If we can't say there's causation, we can certainly say there's a correlation   
   between the rise in social media use for news gathering and misperceptions   
   about immigration in Canada," said Samuel Woolley, an assistant professor in   
   the School of    
   Journalism at the Moody College of Communication at the University of   
   Texas-Austin, who studies disinformation.   
      
      
   Highly political topic   
      
   Woolley said that because immigration is already a highly political topic, it   
   can be used as a tool to sow division among voters and create polarization in   
   an effort to disrupt democracy.   
      
   "Because immigration is a well-established topic for political communication   
   and because it is particularly concerning to a lot of people, it is a very   
   useful lever to pull when spreading disinformation," Woolley said.   
      
   Despite the misconceptions found in the poll, the findings also suggested that   
   a majority of respondents are fine with present levels of immigration.   
      
   To conduct the poll, the Angus Reid Institute used an online survey conducted   
   Sept. 27-30 among a representative randomized sample of 1,522 Canadian adults   
   who are members of Angus Reid Forum.   
      
      
   For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a   
   margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.   
      
      
   Asylum seekers walk along Roxham Road near Champlain, New York on August 6,   
   2017, making their way towards the Canada/US border. (Geoff Robins/AFP/Getty   
   Images)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)