Young people recognize misinformation, but not always – how they recognize fake news – Greece in the first place – the identity of the research
Misinformation and false news is now a daily reality for young people in Europe, with young people in Greece being very high on the list of Europeans who are victims of fake news. According to a new Eurobarometer survey, 76% of young people in the EU believe they have been exposed to misinformation, while in Greece and Cyprus this figure reaches 83%.
76% of Europeans estimate that they have been exposed to misinformation – and 70% in Greece – believe that they can recognize it
The extensive use of social media, as the main source of information, seems to be directly linked to this report. Young people are mainly based on Instagram (52%), Tiktok (41%) and YouTube (41%) for their information, platforms where, however, information filtering is often incomplete, leaving room for spreading false news.
Young people recognize the misinformation but not always
70% of young people in Greece say they can recognize misinformation, a percentage in line with the European average. However, excessive confidence in their ability to distinguish the truth from the lie can be a trap, as the false news is often complex and well -designed.
How they recognize fake news
Respondents from Malta and Ireland were the most confident of their ability to recognize misinformation (88% and 87% respectively), with Cypriot respondents close to fourth place with 85%.
Young people from Greece are in the European average of 70%, while those from Austria, Germany and Slovenia feel less confident. “The ability to identify false news is critical, but it is not enough. Critical thinking and intersection of information ”, The authors of the Eurobarometer survey comment.
Greece in the first places
Greece – according to the Eurobarometer findings – is in the first place in misinformation. In nine EU countries, more than half of the young people say they are exposed to misinformation “often” or “very often”. In Greece, this figure reaches 57%, placing the country among the first five in the EU.
The countries with the highest rates of frequent exposure to false news are: Malta with 59%, Hungary with 58%, Greece with 57%, Luxembourg with 55%and Cyprus with 53%. On the contrary, Romanian and Bulgarian young people are those who say, at a higher rate, that they have never been exposed to misinformation (19% and 11% respectively).
It is noteworthy that, in Cyprus, only 1% of young people said they had never been exposed to false news, while in Greece the corresponding figure is 5%.
The identity of the research
Youth Eurobarometer survey was conducted by Ipsos between September 25 and October 3, 2024 in and 27 EU Member States, with internet internet interviews. In total, 25,863 interviews with young people aged 16-30 years, 514 of which in Cyprus and 1,033 in Greece. The results were weighted according to the percentage of this age group in each EU country.
Source: Skai
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