Europeans Increasingly Exposed to Disinformation, Survey Shows

A growing number of Europeans report frequent exposure to disinformation and fake news, with more than a third of EU citizens now saying they encounter false information regularly, according to a recent Eurobarometer survey.

The survey found that 36% of respondents across the European Union reported being exposed to disinformation “often” or “very often” during the previous week, a significant increase from 28% in 2022. This growing perception comes despite only 12% of Europeans feeling confident in their ability to recognize false information when they see it.

The data reveals stark differences across the continent, with perceived exposure to disinformation ranging from 26% in Finland and Germany to a concerning 57% in Hungary. Other countries reporting high levels include Romania (55%) and Spain (52%), while Bulgaria (48%), Luxembourg (45%), and Malta (45%) all registered rates above 40%.

A geographic pattern emerges from the findings, with citizens in Eastern and Southern European countries generally reporting higher exposure rates compared to their Northern and Western European counterparts. However, this pattern isn’t absolute – Luxembourg and Ireland report relatively high exposure, while Czechia, Italy, and Portugal show lower levels than might be expected based on their regions.

When including respondents who said they were “sometimes” exposed to disinformation (31% across the EU), the total perceived exposure rises to approximately two-thirds (66%) of Europeans. Only 7% of EU citizens believe they are “never” exposed to false information, while 16% report “rare” exposure.

The increase in perceived disinformation appears widespread, with 22 of 26 EU countries recording higher rates compared to the 2022 survey. The most dramatic spikes occurred in Denmark and the Netherlands, both jumping 19 percentage points, followed by Luxembourg (18 points), Malta (17 points), Sweden (14 points), and Spain (13 points). Notably, this period coincided with Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter (now X) in late 2022, though the survey doesn’t establish a direct correlation.

Despite the growing concern about disinformation, Europeans’ confidence in recognizing false information remains limited and appears to be declining slightly. About 62% of respondents expressed confidence in their ability to identify disinformation, including 12% who feel “very confident” and 49% who are “somewhat confident.” This represents a two-percentage-point decrease across the EU compared to 2022.

Confidence levels vary significantly by country, ranging from just 49% in Poland to 84% in Malta. Interestingly, researchers found no strong correlation between perceived exposure to disinformation and confidence in recognizing it.

Konrad Bleyer-Simon, research fellow at the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom, told Euronews Next that explaining these perceptions is challenging since they may not align with people’s actual abilities or the real extent of the problem.

“The quality and extent of media literacy and fact-checking activities in the country may play a role here, but also certain psychological factors (reasons for under/overestimating one’s capabilities and exposure),” Bleyer-Simon explained.

He noted that disinformation tends to have greater impact in societies characterized by high polarization, economic inequality, poor educational performance, low institutional trust, and politicians who employ confrontational or populist communication strategies.

“Countries end up being more resilient to disinformation if they have strong and independent public service broadcasters, effective self-regulation for private media, high trust in the news, and a population that is more inclined to get its news from news media than from social media,” Bleyer-Simon added.

The findings come at a time when social media platforms continue to grapple with content moderation challenges and as the European Union implements new digital regulations aimed at combating the spread of false information online.