Pinoy adults think fake news a problem – survey

Having been fooled or victimized by fake news lately?

In a recent survey by Pulse Asia which was conducted last September 17 to 21 revealed that nine out ten Filipino adults or a whopping 86% considered fake news to be a problem in the country.

Only a measly 14% of the respondents claimed that fake news is not a problem.

Balance Luzon cornered the highest percentage of adult Filipinos who see fake news as a problem at 92%.

This was followed by the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro Manila at 87%, then Mindanao at 81% and the Visayas at 77%.

A fraction 8% of the respondents in Balance Luzon claimed that fake news is not a problem.

It was followed by Metro Manila at 13%, 19% in Mindanao while it logged 23% in the Visayas.

Also, according to the Pulse Asia survey, the vast majority of the country’s adult population (90%) have encountered or been exposed to fake news from what they read, heard, and/or watched fake political news.

It also revealed that the internet or social media (68%) and television (67%) are the leading wellspring of fake news about government and politics,

Beyond the social media and television, the survey said that respondents got their dose of fake news from the following:
● radio (32%)
● friends/ acquaintances (28%)
● family/ relatives (21%)
● leaders in the community (4%)
● newspaper (3%)
● religious leader (1%)

In addition, 21% of the respondents said they hear or watch fake news daily, while 26% said a few times a week; 17% said once a week; 25% said a few times a month; and 10% said never.

Moreover, with regards to who is responsible for the proliferation of fake news, Pulse Asia said that 58% of the respondents point their fingers to social media influencers as the main source.

Followed by journalists (40%), national-level politicians (37%), local politicians (30%), civic leaders (15%), businesspeople (11%), and academics or teachers (4%).

“Social media influencers, bloggers, and/or vloggers were seen by the majority of Filipino adults (58%) as spreaders of fake news about government and politics.

For a small majority of adults (58%), social media influencers, bloggers, and/or vloggers are responsible for spreading fake political news in the country – an opinion shared by most Metro Manilans (69%), those in the rest of Luzon (67%), and those belonging to Class ABC and D (69% and 58%, respectively),” Pulse Asia said.

The survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 respondents, with a margin of error of ± 2.8 percent at the 95 percent confidence level for nationwide figures.

Pulse Asia added that subnational estimates have ± 5.7 percent error margins for Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The dramatic spread of misinformation and disinformation or false information, commonly termed as fake news, has been a growing problem in the country especially with the domination of various social media applications and services where the contents are not instantly verified.

Several observers and fact-checkers in the 2022 national elections,claimed a notable increase in the distribution of fake news targeting several candidates.