Vast Majority of UK Adults Oppose Unregulated Political Advertising Online, New Intuit Research/Norstat Survey Reveals

New poll results announced:

• Only 8% of UK adults believe political advertising online should be allowed without regulation
• 71% of Facebook users say they encounter fake news on Facebook compared with 21% of radio listeners
• Society divided on whether consumer-generated news has a negative or a positive impact
• 47% of those aged 18-24 actively share news they know to be fake

An Intuit Research/Norstat poll of 1,100 UK adults last week reveals the extent to which fake news has become ubiquitous for social-media users in Britain.

Seven out of every ten Facebook users (71%) encounter “some” or a “great deal” of fake news on Facebook, and 67% of Twitter users encounter “some” or a “great deal” of fake news on Twitter.

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In contrast to the social networks where fake news is rife, just 21% of radio listeners have encountered fake news on the radio, underscoring the impact of broadcast regulations on reducing misinformation.

Opinion is divided on the impact of consumer-generated news on British society, with the 35% who believe that consumer-generated news is having a negative impact slightly outweighing the 27% who believe that it is having a positive effect.

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There is a huge generational gap when it comes to fake news and social media.  People aged 18-24 are three times as likely (18%) to “frequently” share news they know to be fake, compared with the national average (5%).  18-24s are four times as likely than those aged 55 and above to believe that online political advertising should be permitted without regulation.

Stephen Yap, Director at Intuit Research commented:

“Avid social-media users already know that fake news is here to stay, and they have developed the skills to cope.  Younger, digital-literate people have learned how to filter the information they receive while older generations tend to be less comfortable when presented with potentially dubious information on social media.

“Tools such as the government’s SHARE checklist for fact-checking will help those who are finding it difficult to separate truth from lies.”

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