Temu, Women's World Cup, SOPFEU, war in Gaza… Google published in December the most searched keywords on its platform in 2023. Analysis of trends in Quebec and Canada.
In Quebec, Chinese online shopping website Temu is the most searched item on Google. The same term rose to the ninth most common search in Canada. It was the Women's World Cup that took first place in the country. The same research placed third in the Quebec rankings.
The current war in Gaza, pitting Israel against Hamas, is also among the top searches in Quebec and Canada. It ranks eighth nationally and climbs to third nationally.
This year's extraordinary wildfires have certainly left their mark on the minds of Quebecers: the Society for the Protection of Forests from Fires' acronym, SOPFEU, ranked second in searches in the province.
The death of Karl Tremblay, singer of the Cowboys Fringants, also left its mark on the charts: his name rose to seventh place in the Quebec polls. Matthew Perry, who also died in 2023, moved up to fifth place.
Sports have had a significant impact on research this year, both in Quebec and Canada. In addition to the Women's Soccer World Cup, which took first place, the Cricket World Cup took second place in the Canadian rankings. Inter Miami, the new club of Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi, finished fifth in Canada and sixth in Quebec. Saudi club Al-Nassr, where Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo now plays, finished ninth in Quebec ahead of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
International news has also been the subject of much research in the country. The submarine Titan is in sixth place, followed by Hurricane Lee and India's Chandrayaan-3 probe, which made its historic lunar landing last August. The earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria last spring closes the Canadian record.
Google, Google, tell me…
Google also revealed which questions about specific keywords were most frequently asked in the country this year. The economy and personal finances appear to have had a significant impact on what Canadians want.
The “Why” list displays the question “Why didn’t I receive the $600?” », which alludes to the check promised by the Legault government for Christmas 2022, ranked first in searches in French. The question “How can I withdraw RRSP without paying taxes?” took sixth place in the French-language “How” list, while in tenth place in the “Want” list we put the question “Will interest rates fall?” ” find. “.
Once again, forest fires and their consequences for the province's climate are leaving their mark: the question “Why is the sun red?” » takes third place for search queries that start with “Why”. The war in the Middle East ranked seventh on the same list with the question “Why the war in Israel?”.
The questions “How did Mickey Mouse die?” and “Does the food go through country customs?” » dominate French-language searches in their respective categories.