Google's top trends: What did Canadians search for in 2022?
Google's top trends: What did Canadians search for in 2022?
A cursor moves over Google's search engine page on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018, in Portland. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)
As we approach the new year, Google is providing a glimpse at what 2022 looked like for Canadians, based on the most popular search terms entered on the site.
Earlier this month, the platform released its list of the most viral web searches in Canada for 2022, including words, movies and people.
"This year's top search trends and news stories are filled with moments that brought Canadians together," an accompanying news release said.
This included connecting virtually though simple online ways to have fun.
“Wordle” was the most popular trending search of 2022 in Canada, according to Google. The Canadian spinoff of the game called "Canuckle" was also in the top 10 in the country.
Data gathered by Google shows that Canadian searched terms for learning purposes, looking up events such as the World Cup, and reading news about the Russian war in Ukraine. The death of Queen Elizabeth and the U.S. midterm elections were two other “significant” international events in 2022 that made the Canadian list.
Celebrities, too, were subjects of Canadians' curiosity. The Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial was a popular search topic on Canadian computers, and Will Smith's slap during the Oscars ceremony brought Canadians to Hollywood headlines
North of the border, the reopening of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto was another term highlighted by Google.
Top search trends:
1. Wordle
2. Ukraine
3. World Cup
4. Queen Elizabeth
5. Betty White
6. Bob Saget
7. Anne Heche
8. Canuckle
9. Johnny Depp
10. Will Smith
NEWS SEARCH TRENDS IN CANADA
When it comes to news searches specifically, “Ukraine” stands at the top of the list followed by the Rogers outage that impacted thousands of customers, and "monkeypox," a viral disease that began to spread in Canada this year.
“Lisa LaFlamme,” “CNE,” “U.S. Midterm Elections” and “Saskatchewan stabbings” were also highly searched this year, according to the Google report.
Completing 10 most popular news search trends were “World Cup 2022,” “Oscars 2022” and “Freedom Convoy 2022.”
ASKING QUESTIONS
It seems Canadians were not satisfied by getting the latest updates -- they also wanted to know "why?"
For example, Canadians not only searched for updates on the conflict in Ukraine; they also tried to understand "why Russia is attacking Ukraine” and “how to help Ukraine.”
These are the top 10 "whys" Canadians asked this year:
According to Google, Canadians were also interested to know "how" – whether it was they could help, how to take part in something, or even just how to pronounce names correctly.
These are the top 10 "how" questions people searched for in 2022:
1. How to watch the World Cup
2. How to do a rapid COVID test
3. How to help Ukraine
4. How to get vaccine QR code
5. How to create an NFT
6. How to pronounce Kyiv
7. How to evolve Charcadet
8. How to respec in Elden Ring
9. How to evolve Cosmog in Pokémon Go
10. How to pronounce Qatar
CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT SEARCHES
When it came to culture and entertainment, Google says, Canadians were heavily plugged into pop culture. It included top 10 lists for searches for celebrities, movies and shows in 2022.
Top celebrities
1. Johnny Depp
2. Will Smith
3. Amber Heard
4. Chris Rock
5. Adam Levine
6. King Charles
7. Jada Pinkett Smith
8. Julia Fox
9. Bruce Willis
10. Mary J. Blige
Top movies
1. Encanto
2. Top Gun
3. The Batman
4. Thor: Love and Thunder
5. Turning Red
6. Black Adam
7. Everything Everywhere All at Once
8. Morbius
9. Uncharted
10. Don't Worry Darling
Top TV series
1. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
2. Euphoria
3. Stranger Things
4. Inventing Anna
5. The Watcher
6. House of the Dragon
7. Moon Knight
8. Yellowstone
9. The Boys
10. The Summer I Turned Pretty
With the FIFA World Cup and Winter Olympics, Canadians spent time online learning about these sports, proving that Canada is not just a hockey nation.
Top sports searches
1. World Cup
2. Olympic medal count
3. Calgary Flames
4. Olympics
5. CFL scores
6. T20 World Cup 2022
7. Asia Cup 2022
8. Canada Soccer
9. Golden State Warriors
10. Indian Wells tennis
Top athletes
1. Guy Lafleur
2. Novak Djokovic
3. Antonio Brown
4. Serena Williams
5. Eileen Gu
6. Kamila Valieva
7. Felix Auger Aliassime
8. Mitchell Miller
9. Johnny Gaudreau
10. Kirby Dach
Reporting for this story was paid for through The Afghan Journalists in Residence Project funded by Meta.
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
Dominic Barton, the former global managing director of McKinsey & Company, says he had no involvement in federal contracts awarded to the firm in recent years.
Australia is removing the monarchy from its bank notes. The nation's new $5 bill will feature an Indigenous design rather than an image of King Charles III. But the king is still expected to appear on coins that currently bear the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
When the opera 'La Flambeau' premieres next week in Montreal, Black performers will be front and centre in an artistic medium where they have historically been under-represented.
A suicide bomber who killed 101 people at a mosque in northwest Pakistan this week had disguised himself in a police uniform and did not raise suspicion among guards, the provincial police chief said on Thursday.
Top European Union officials arrived in Kyiv on Thursday for talks with Ukrainian officials as rescue crews dug through the rubble of an apartment building in eastern Ukraine struck by a Russian missile, killing at least three people and wounding about 20 others.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
On CTVNews.ca and YouTube: Health journalist Avis Favaro joins our Trend Line podcast, for an in-depth episode dedicated to the growing crises facing the Canadian health-care system.
Nearly a year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, community organizers say there is still work to be done to help the thousands of Ukrainian refugees looking to start a new life in Canada while coping with the hardships they've faced coming here.
A suicide bomber who killed 101 people at a mosque in northwest Pakistan this week had disguised himself in a police uniform and did not raise suspicion among guards, the provincial police chief said on Thursday.
Israel struck targets in the Gaza Strip early Thursday hours after Palestinian militants fired a rocket at Israel, the military said, the latest in an uptick of violence in the region.
Top European Union officials arrived in Kyiv on Thursday for talks with Ukrainian officials as rescue crews dug through the rubble of an apartment building in eastern Ukraine struck by a Russian missile, killing at least three people and wounding about 20 others.
Israeli aircraft carried out several raids at a militant site in the Gaza Strip early Thursday, the Israeli military said, hours after Palestinian militants fired a rocket into Israel's south, raising already heightened tensions under the country's new ultranationalist government.
North Korea on Thursday threatened the 'toughest reaction' to the United States' expanding joint military exercises with South Korea to counter the North's growing nuclear weapons ambitions, claiming that the allies were pushing tensions to an 'extreme red line.'
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
Dominic Barton, the former global managing director of McKinsey & Company, says he had no involvement in federal contracts awarded to the firm in recent years.
On CTVNews.ca and YouTube: Health journalist Avis Favaro joins our Trend Line podcast, for an in-depth episode dedicated to the growing crises facing the Canadian health-care system.
Lawmakers in Finland approved amendments Wednesday that will make it substantially easier for people to change their legally recognized gender in the Nordic country.
New guidelines on long-term care services by the Health Standards Organization say residents should receive at least four hours of direct care each day. If you or a loved one are living in long-term care, we want to hear from you.
After a tiny radioactive capsule went missing in the Australian outback, an expert in Canada says the likelihood of the same happening in this country is unlikely, given our strong regulations governing the handling of radioactive materials.
Chinese scientists have successfully cloned three 'super cows' that can produce an unusually high amount of milk, state media reported, hailing it as a breakthrough for China's dairy industry to reduce its dependence on imported breeds.
An archeological team from Saint Mary's University will travel to France this summer to use ground-penetrating radar and other technology to assist a United States defence agency recover and identify military personnel missing since the Second World War.
When the opera 'La Flambeau' premieres next week in Montreal, Black performers will be front and centre in an artistic medium where they have historically been under-represented.
Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson, Kate Bush, Iron Maiden, Cyndi Lauper, Soundgarden, Sheryl Crow and the late George Michael are the 2023 nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, reflecting a mix of country, soul, hip-hop, metal, pop, rap-rock and grunge.
Global energy giant Shell said Thursday that its annual profits doubled to a record high last year as oil and natural gas prices soared after Russia invaded Ukraine. London-based Shell Plc posted adjusted earnings of $39.9 billion for 2022 in its financial results for the final three months of the year.
Türkiye on Thursday slammed a group of Western countries which temporarily closed down their consulates in Istanbul over security concerns, accusing them of waging 'psychological warfare"' and attempting to wreck Türkiye's tourism.
As Black History Month gets underway, Canada Post has unveiled a new stamp honouring Chloe Cooley, a young Black woman who was known to challenge her enslavement in the late 18th century.
A team of preteen Ukrainian refugees that have been scattered across Europe by war arrived Wednesday in Quebec City, where they'll get the chance to compete in a renowned hockey tournament.
John Herdman is staying put. After a morning of speculation fuelled by a New Zealand report that the Canada men's soccer coach had agreed to take over the 105th-ranked All Whites, Herdman and Canada Soccer put out the fire with a statement Wednesday.
Brittney Griner's return to the WNBA this summer after being traded in a dramatic prisoner swap in December with Russia has collided with free agency, creating potential travel complications for the league out of safety concerns for her.
A good winter tire will always outperform an all-season tire in snowy, icy driving conditions and be the safer alternative. Edmunds' experts explain the importance of winter tires and offer advice on when to use them and how much you should pay.
The U.S. Justice Department has requested documents from Tesla related to its Autopilot and 'Full Self-Driving' features, according to a regulatory filing.
Europe is taking another big step toward cutting its energy ties with Russia, banning imports of diesel fuel and other products made from crude oil in Russian refineries. The European Union ban takes effect Feb. 5 following its embargo on coal and most oil from Russia.
A cursor moves over Google's search engine page on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018, in Portland. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)
