While a group of independent experts will soon publish its recommendations to fight "fake news", the European Commission has just published the first results of a Eurobarometer survey conducted among 26 000 European citizens.
According to this survey, while online media are considered reliable by only 26% of Europeans (28 countries of the Union), the printed press receives 63% of favorable opinions and the radio 70%.
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The level of confidence in the information disseminated by the press is significantly higher in France (71%) than in the European average (63%). If we look more specifically at the level of trust in the press in five of our main partners (Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom), we see that the French rank second (71%) with the Germans (70%), behind the Swedes (81%), but well ahead of the British (56%) or the Spanish (56%).
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The level of trust in information disseminated by social networks is comparable in France (27%) and in Europe (26%). This level of trust is higher in France (27%) than in Germany (17%) or Italy (19%).
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37% of Europeans surveyed are frequently (every day or almost every day) confronted with "fake news or distortions" (75% in France). Respondents with a higher level of education are more likely to encounter them. The French (75%) and the Spanish (78%) are more often confronted with it (or show greater vigilance towards it) than the Germans (68%).
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71% of Europeans surveyed are confident in their ability to identify fake or distorting news (73% in France). Confidence in the ability to spot them is higher in the UK (79%), France (73%) and Spain (73%) than in Germany (55%) or Sweden (66%).
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85% of Europeans surveyed perceive fake news "as a problem in their country" (85% in France). This concern reaches a higher level in Italy (90%).
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83% of Europeans surveyed (81% in France) perceive fake news as a problem for democracy in general. This concern is more pronounced in Spain.
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Journalists (45%), national authorities (39%) and media managers (36%) are seen as best placed to act against the spread of fake news. For the French (56%), the Spanish (52%) and the Germans (41%), this responsibility falls primarily on journalists. For the British and the Swedes (52%), it is primarily the responsibility of media management (46%). The Italians, on the other hand, look primarily to the national authorities (46%).
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The relatively high level of mistrust of the French towards information disseminated on social networks (57%), the impression of being frequently confronted with "fake news" (75%), and their high level of confidence in their ability to identify it (73%) are probably to be compared with the relatively high level of practice of sharing information on social networks. 43% of them share information that others have shared with them, 34% of them share information that they have found themselves and 57% read what their friends have shared. The combination of these 3 practices puts them well above the European average.
The survey was conducted by telephone from February 7 to February 9, 2018 among 26,576 Europeans over the age of 15.
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