In 2021, 47% of all people aged 16-74 years in the EU saw untrue or doubtful information on news websites or social media during the 3 months prior to the survey. However, only around a quarter (23%) of people verified the truthfulness of the information or content.
This information comes from data on ICT usage in households and by individuals published by Eurostat today. Other interesting findings can be found in the more detailed Statistics Explained article.
Source dataset: isoc_sk_edic_i21
The share of people aged 16-74 years old who verified information found on online news sites or social media in the previous 3 months was largest in the Netherlands (45%), followed by Luxembourg (41%) and Ireland (39%). However, the smallest share was recorded in Lithuania (11%), followed by Romania (12%) and Poland (16%).
In the EU, people aged 16-74 years old primarily checked if the information was truthful by checking the sources or finding other information on the internet (20%). People also checked information by discussing it with other persons offline, or using sources not on the internet (12%). The least popular method was checking by following or taking part in an internet discussion regarding the information (7%).
For more information:
- Eurostat Statistics Explained article on ICT usage in households and by individuals
- Eurostat dedicated section on digital economy and society
- Eurostat database on digital economy and society
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