Four in ten UK adults say they had encountered misinformation or deepfake content in the previous four weeks, according to new Ofcom research.
Among those who have encountered false or misleading information, seven in ten (71%) say they have seen it online. Four in ten (43%) say they have seen misinformation on TV, and one in five (21%) via print newspapers or their associated websites/apps.
Men, young adults, people from higher socio-economic backgrounds, minority ethnic and LGB+ groups, as well as those with mental health conditions are more likely to say they have come across misinformation.
The research took place in the week before the General Election and found that respondents were most likely to have seen false or misleading information about UK politics, including the General Election, (39%), followed by international politics and current affairs (33%), and health and medical information (25%).
This news comes as Ofcom today announces the appointment of Lord Richard Allan - already a non-Executive Member of Ofcom’s Board - as Chair of a new Disinformation and Misinformation Advisory Committee. We are also today launching a recruitment drive to appoint fellow committee members with expertise in this field.
Dealing with misinformation
Over three quarters of UK adults (77%) agree that it’s important to check different sources for news, while seven in ten (71%) acknowledge that online information will always be a mix of reliable and unreliable posts.
Almost half of people (45%) feel they can confidently judge whether sources of information are truthful. But only 30% feel they can confidently judge whether an image, audio or video has been generated by AI.
When asked about how they deal with misinformation in practice, nearly half (47%) say they ignore the content and move on. A quarter (26%) say they use a search engine to find a more authoritative source, and a similar proportion (24%) say they’d check the information on a trusted news website.
Confidence in news production
That said, a significant number of people are sceptical of conventional news production processes. Around four in ten (44%) agree with the statement that the more a story is edited, the less likely it is to be true, while a similar proportion think that important stories are deliberately covered up by traditional new sources (42%). Similarly, only a third (32%) agree that journalists follow codes of practice.
This mistrust manifests in other ways too. When asked to decide which statements about current affairs were true or false, three in ten UK adults believe that there is a single group of people who secretly control the world together (29%), and a similar figure believe that there is significant evidence of large-scale election fraud (30%).
Ofcom has an existing responsibility to promote media literacy. The Online Safety Act has also added more specific duties to build awareness of how people - especially those most at risk of harm - can protect themselves and others online, while encouraging the use of technologies and systems by services that empower them to do so. You can find out more about our media literacy work on our website.
Advisory Committee on Disinformation and Misinformation
Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom is required to establish and maintain an advisory committee on disinformation and misinformation, with a Chair appointed by Ofcom, and other members appointed by the Ofcom Board.
The Committee is required to provide advice to Ofcom on:
- how providers of regulated services should deal with disinformation and misinformation on such services,
- how Ofcom exercises its transparency powers to require information from regulated services about matters relating to disinformation and misinformation; and
- how Ofcom exercises its duties to promote media literacy in relation to countering disinformation and misinformation on regulated services.
Given the importance of this Committee and its work, and to ensure senior-level accountability, Ofcom is today announcing that it will be led by an existing Ofcom Board member, Lord Richard Allan.
We are also today launching a recruitment campaign to appoint specialist experts in this field to the Committee, with a view to finalising members in early 2025.
Applicants must submit their CV and an accompanying covering letter outlining how they meet the key competencies by 12 January 2025. The interview panel will comprise Lord Allan of Hallam, Jessica Zucker, Ofcom’s Online Safety Policy Development Director and Libby Watkins, Independent Panel Member.
A Terms of Reference document, detailing how the Committee will operate and run, is also available on our website.
Lord Richard Allan said: "There is a growing body of research and expertise on the challenges posed by misinformation and potential responses to it. Our new committee will draw on this knowledge to provide the best possible advice to Ofcom and other stakeholders."