Indians more susceptible to fake news, disinformation: Study
A report based on the study of Ipsos Group, a Paris-based market research and consulting firm, published last month focused on understanding what shapes people's ability to tell real news from fake news. The 8,800 participants in the study were shown some real and fake headlines. The real ones were from trusted news outlets, and the fake ones from fact-checking sites.
The headlines were made to look like regular social media posts, with no source names, no likes, and no comments. This was done to make participants judge the veracity of the news based on headlines.
The report concluded Indians had the weakest ability to distinguish between real and fake information. It noted that Indians were more likely to assume news is true by default. The report said the participants from the US and the UK were most discerning.
'The scale and complexity of misinformation have grown exponentially due to the development of the digital landscape. Algorithms designed to maximise user engagement can inadvertently amplify sensational or divisive content if their design prioritises virality,' said the report.
The report said that Indians were more likely to believe headlines, especially if they trigger positive emotions, but they also show less scepticism toward negative ones. It added this emotional influence on judgment makes people in India more vulnerable to emotionally charged misinformation.
The report said that when presented with real news, Indians are able to recognise it as true, suggesting that despite the challenges posed by misinformation, people in India have a strong baseline ability to discern truth. The study found accuracy in identifying real news among Indians is on par with that of other countries.
Ipsos India managing director (research) Vivek Gupta said positive news is generally likely to be questioned less as compared to negative news.
A feel-good but false headline, such as 'India ranked highest in press freedom index,' is more likely to be believed and widely shared, even if it is not true. A negatively framed false story like 'new government policy to ban all local street vendors' may still be accepted without question, because people are less likely to pause and critically evaluate what they read.
'For negative news, the UK questions it the most... US believes negative news without checking slightly more,' said Gupta.
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