Key findings from 11,929 Canadian longevity articles (2023-2026)
Nearly 1 in 5 articles (18.4%) frame aging through a limiting lens, emphasizing crisis, burden, and decline. This creates a significant opportunity for counter-narrative advocacy.
Identifying limiting narratives that require intervention
Volume: 2,196 articles (18.4%) use limiting frames
Worst Offenders: globalnews.ca (26.0%), citynews.ca (25.9%), cbc.ca (25.9%)
Geographic Concentration: Ontario has 1,266 limiting articles (19.5% rate)
Temporal Pattern: 2026 shows alarming spike to 25.8% limiting coverage
Identifying empowering narratives and amplification opportunities
Volume: 1,653 articles (13.9%) use empowering frames
Best Topic: Social_Community (27.7% empowering) - 578 positive articles
Geographic Leader: Quebec (24.7% empowering rate, though small sample)
Temporal Breakthrough: 2025 reached 17.3% empowering (up from 10.0% in 2023)
Empowering narrative opportunities by topic category
| Topic | Total Articles | Empowering Count | Empowering % |
|---|
Social_Community topics show the highest empowering rate (27.7%), suggesting that community-focused stories naturally lend themselves to positive aging narratives. Healthcare_Medical topics show the lowest rate (10.0%), indicating a need for reframing medical coverage.
Media outlets ranked by limiting narrative prevalence
| Outlet | Total Articles | Limiting Count | Limiting % |
|---|
Provincial analysis of limiting narrative prevalence
| Province | Total Articles | Limiting Count | Limiting % |
|---|
Ontario: Highest volume (6,506 articles) and total harm (1,266 limiting articles). Priority region for intervention.
British Columbia: Lowest harm rate (16.1%) despite high volume (3,192 articles). Study for best practices.
Quebec: Small sample (73 articles) but concerning 24.7% limiting rate.
Year-over-year narrative evolution (2023-2026)
| Year | Total Articles | Limiting % | Neutral % | Empowering % |
|---|
2025 Breakthrough: Empowering coverage peaked at 17.3% (up from 10.0% in 2023), while limiting dropped to 15.7%. This represents significant progress.
2026 Regression: Alarming spike to 25.8% limiting coverage in early 2026 data. Requires immediate investigation and response.
Comprehensive view of aging narratives in Canadian media
Limiting (18.4%): Crisis framing, burden narratives, decline focus
Neutral (67.7%): Factual reporting, policy coverage, demographic data
Empowering (13.9%): Active aging, contribution stories, innovation focus
The 8,080 neutral articles represent a massive conversion opportunity. These stories are currently framed factually but could be reframed with empowering angles. Even converting 10% would add 808 empowering articles, nearly doubling positive coverage.