According to the latest Pulse Asia survey, 9 in 10 Filipino adults, roughly 86 percent, view fake news as a problem in the Philippines. Only 14 percent of the respondents don’t believe fake news is an issue.
The proliferation of fake news is a huge problem in the Philippines, thanks to the widespread use of the internet and social media. It started way before the COVID pandemic and grew much more during the 2022 presidential elections which targeted several candidates. But one good thing about the results is that a significant number of Filipinos are aware of the fake news problem in our country.
The survey was conducted from September 17 to 21, 2022, using face-to-face interviews with a sample of 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above.
Here are some key takeaways from the new Pulse Asia survey that you might find interesting.
- The highest number of respondents that believe fake news is a problem came from Balance Luzon with 92 percent, followed by Metro Manila at 87 percent, Mindanao at 81 percent, and the Visayas at 77 percent.
- Meanwhile, eight percent of respondents from Balance Luzon don’t think it’s a problem. In Metro Manila, 13 percent felt the same way with Mindanao at 19 percent and the Visayas at 23 percent.
- An overwhelming majority of the respondents, around 90 percent, have read, heard, or watched fake political news.
- Ten percent of Filipino adults are not aware of fake news regarding the government and politics.
- The leading source of fake news about the government and politics, according to the study, is the internet or social media at 68 percent and television at 67 percent.
- Twenty-one percent of adults who are aware of fake political news said they got such news from family/relatives.
- Fifty-eight percent of Filipino adults view social media influencers, bloggers, and vloggers as the most responsible for the spreading of fake news about government and politics.
- Fifty-five percent of respondents are confident in the ability of Filipinos to determine whether the political news they encounter is truthful or false.
You can read more about Pulse Asia’s Fake News survey here.