Nearly 9 in 10 Europeans believe tech companies and governments should do more to tackle the spread of false information online, with over half of EU citizens frequently or very frequently uncertain of the truthfulness of content they find on the internet.
This is according to a new study from the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s ‘Upgrade Democracy’ project, which found that 54% of those surveyed often or very often doubt the accuracy of online content. Furthermore, 39% of respondents reported being conscious of disinformation.
Kai Unzicker, the study’s author and expert for democracy and cohesion at the Bertelsmann Stiftung, said: “Reliable information is the basis for making informed judgements and so also for democratic discourse. The European population feels great uncertainty regarding the digital content they can still trust and the content that has been deliberately manipulated. Anyone wishing to protect and strengthen democracy must not leave people to cope with disinformation on their own.”
The survey, which was taken among 13,270 EU citizens aged between 16 and 70 and representative of the entire bloc as well as Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain, also found that only 44% of Europeans had taken the time to check the accuracy of information obtained from the internet. Even fewer – 22% – reported false information or warned others of its existence.
Age and education proved to have an effect on the likelihood of spotting and counteracting fake news, with younger and more educated respondents more likely to do so.
Furthermore, the study showed that the more social media channels they use, the more often Europeans detect disinformation. Attitudes to the effects of social media on democracy varied between countries, but were generally more negative in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
The Bertelsmann Stiftung is recommending setting up and expanding systematic monitoring by independent actors from the academic world and civil society, as well as raising awareness of the risks of disinformation among the wider population.
Kai Unzicker concluded: “Anyone wishing to protect and strengthen democracy must not leave people to cope with disinformation on their own.”
A new study from the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s ‘Upgrade Democracy’ project has revealed that nearly 9 in 10 Europeans believe tech companies and governments should do more to tackle the spread of false information online. The survey of 13,270 EU citizens, which was representative of the entire bloc as well as Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain, found that 54% of those surveyed often or very often doubt the accuracy of online content.
Kai Unzicker, the study’s author and expert for democracy and cohesion at the Bertelsmann Stiftung, said: “Reliable information is the basis for making informed judgements and so also for democratic discourse. The European population feels great uncertainty regarding the digital content they can still trust and the content that has been deliberately manipulated. Anyone wishing to protect and strengthen democracy must not leave people to cope with disinformation on their own.”
The results also showed that only 44% of Europeans had taken the time to check the accuracy of information obtained from the internet, while 22% reported false information or warned others of its existence. Age and education proved to have an effect on the likelihood of spotting and counteracting fake news, with younger and more educated respondents more likely to do so.
The Bertelsmann Stiftung is recommending setting up and expanding systematic monitoring by independent actors from the academic world and civil society, as well as raising awareness of the risks of disinformation among the wider population.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.