Most Canadians would rather see federal funding spent on urgent needs such as affordable housing than on media subsidies to prop up failing news outlets, according to in-house Privy Council research.

Ottawa commissioned a poll just weeks before doubling newsroom payroll rebates to an additional $129 million. The survey, first obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, found few Canadians were in favour of the federal government’s support of the news industry.

“While it was widely felt that the Government of Canada should continue to ensure that news was widely accessible to all Canadians in the official language of their choice, only a small number believed that the news industry in general should be a top priority at present,” the report on poll results said.