
40% of Spaniards admit that they are not able to recognize a hoax
Almost 40% of Spaniards admit that they are not able to distinguish a hoax from real newscompared to 41% who consider that they are capable. Meanwhile, just over 19% are not sure. Besides, 82% believe that minors are not receiving the necessary training to distinguish facts from hoaxes in the information society.
These are some of the main conclusions of a survey prepared by the communication and marketing consultancy Advisors to know the perception of Spaniards regarding the existence of hoaxes and fake news on the internet.
The population is aware that they receive hoaxes
89% of those surveyed are aware of having received information through some channel that later turned out to be a hoax. However, despite the fact that many Spaniards acknowledge that they are poorly prepared to distinguish false information from news based on fact, 66% say they did not believe the rumor at the time they received it.
Besides, 83% consider that “fake news” has increased in the last year. In this sense, to The vast majority (90%) are concerned that the popularization of AI will help fake news proliferate and become more credible..
Regarding the origin of these «fake news«Spaniards mainly receive hoaxes through social networks (76%), followed by the media (40%) and personal contacts, whether face to face, by e-mail or by messaging (35%).
On the other hand, just over half of those surveyed (55%) believe that it is on social networks where hoaxes or fake news proliferate the most, ahead of the media, which is only chosen by almost 8% as the main source. cultivation for misinformation. Of course, 33.5% believe that “fake news” is proliferating equally on both channels.
Given this situation, half of Spaniards are equally concerned that fake news is increasing both in the media and on the networks. However, 27% are more concerned about the increase in hoaxes in the media and only 2 out of 5 choose social networks when it comes to being especially concerned.
It is at this point one of the few in which notable differences between generations can be seen. In this way, the youngest generation, from 18 to 35 years old, is the only one that is more concerned about the proliferation of fake news on social networks (26%), compared to 20% of the 35 to 35 age group. 49 years old and 16% from 50 to 65, which is a good indication of the change in information consumption.
Social networks becoming less and less committed
The survey also shows that Spaniards are increasingly concerned about the politicization of social networks and the veracity of the information disseminated on them.
In this sense, 8 out of 10 respondents perceive that social networks are increasingly politicized or less committed to the veracity of what is shared. So much so, that 6 out of 10 would consider stopping using a social network for this reason.
It should also be noted that almost 20% of Spaniards indicate that they have stopped having or using their profile on X (formerly Twitter) due to recent changes in content moderation and verification. A percentage that falls to 13% on Facebook and 7.3% on Instagram. 67%, however, have not deleted or stopped using a profile on a social network for these reasons.
In this regard, 74% of citizens indicate that it is the social networks themselves that should moderate or confirm the veracity of the publicationscompared to 26% who agree that it is better for this work to be in the hands of the community.
The necessary involvement of governments
Besides, 70% of those surveyed consider that governments should legislate to combat “Fake News”being Aragón (78.5%), Galicia (76%) and Andalusia (76%) the autonomous communities that are most in favor, and Comunidad, Valenciana (56%), Region of Murcia (59%), Balearic Islands (60%) and Asturias (60%) the least.
When asked about the specific case of Spain and if they agree with the measures that the Government is currently promoting in this matter, 44% are critical. Only 25% believe that the measures being promoted are appropriate, compared to 30.5% who do not have a formed opinion.
By autonomous communities, Extremadura (70%), the Balearic Islands (60%) and the Canary Islands (59%) are the regions most critical of the Pedro Sánchez Government in this regard. while Navarra (23%), Galicia (33%) and Catalonia (34.5%) are the regions that are least critical of the Executive.
This is another of the few points where notable differences between generations can be seen. Specifically, The group from 50 to 65 years old is the one that is least in favor of the changes that the Government is carrying out (50%), followed by those from 35 to 49 years old (41%) and those from 18 to 34 ( 41%).
Discover more from CiptaVisual
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.