Ottawa/IBNS: Most Canadians feel news should be free and accessible to everyone according to a new national online survey of 1,564 people conducted by Leger.

The new survey was conducted during the weekend to seek opinions about the Liberal government's Online News Act.

Two out of every three Canadians think that news should be free and accessible to everyone, and "the struggling media have other ways to make money," suggests the survey.

That feeling was highest among 18 to 34-year-olds, who mainly get their news from social media.

According to the law which comes into effect later this year, digital giants such as Google would be forced to compensate media outlets for content that is shared or repurposed on their platforms.

Nearly three out of every four respondents said they were aware of the Online News Act formerly known as Bill C-18, while 34 percent of respondents reported saying the law would help media outlets that compete for advertising dollars with tech giants.

In response to the bill, Meta removed news from its social platforms Facebook and Instagram.

Of the responders, 59 percent agreed the company should restore access to news, while only 12 percent agreed that Meta should be allowed to protest the legislation.

Christian Bourque, executive vice president at Leger reportedly said this is a byproduct of the internet and  most Canadians expect that this is how you get news and said respondents believe the media will find some other way to make money.

While only six percent of the responders said they're willing to pay for a subscription to access news directly, 22 percent saying they're turning to TV and radio, 20 percent saying they are going to free media websites and apps and 13 percent choosing other social media sites like Reddit and X, formerly known as Twitter.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)