Ipsos Survey: Nearly 90% of the Internet Users are Falling For Fake News

A global survey shows that 86% of Internet users admit they have been fooled by fake news, the Sabah newspaper reported. The main platform for misleading information was the social network Facebook.

Respondents believe that both governments and media companies should work on the problem that is contributing to the growing distrust of the Internet information and has a negative impact on the economy and political discourse.

The United States is at the forefront of spreading fake news, according to respondents. They are followed by Russia and China.

The survey was conducted by Ipsos in 25 countries. More than 25,000 Internet users were surveyed.

The most gullible were the inhabitants of Egypt. The most skeptical of the fake news were the citizens of Pakistan.

The survey results also show that services around the world are considered undesirable for the social network. The concerns over the online privacy and the usage of personal data is also growing. 

The survey, which used the opinions of people interviewed personally, as well as those who filled in polls on the Internet, was made between December 21, 2018 and February 10, 2019, commissioned by the CIGI, a non-governmental organization for analyzes, based in Canada

"This year's survey of global attitudes not only underscores the fragility of the internet, but also netizens' growing discomfort with social media and the power these corporations wield over their daily lives," CIGI's Fen Osler Hampson said in a statement, quoted by Daily Sabah.