Who is afraid of fake news? modeling risk perceptions of misinformation in 142 countries

Aleksi Knuutila, Lisa-Maria Neudert, Philip N Howard

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

Abstract

Using survey data from 154,195 respondents in 142 countries, we investigate internet user perceptions of the risks associated with being exposed to misinformation. We find that: 1) The majority of regular internet users globally (58.5%) worry about misinformation, and young and low-income groups are most likely to be concerned. 2) Risk perception among internet users varies starkly across regions whereby concern is highest in Latin America and the Caribbean (74.2%), and lowest in South Asia (31.2%). 3) Differences are unrelated to the prevalence of misinformation, yet concern is highest in countries with liberal democratic governments. We discuss implications for successful policy and platform interventions
Original languageEnglish
JournalHarvard Kennedy School misinformation review
Volume3
Issue number3
Number of pages13
ISSN2766-1652
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Fields of Science

  • 518 Media and communications
  • FAKE NEWS
  • information bias
  • Public Opinion

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