And in places like the Netherlands, Australia and the UK, around nine-in-ten see people as more manipulable. Around half or more in every country surveyed shares this view. This sense of threat is related to the widespread belief that people today are now easier to manipulate with false information and rumors thanks to the internet and social media. In places like Canada, Germany and Malaysia, more people name this as a threat than say the same of any of the other issues asked about. Previously reported results indicate that a median of 70% across the 19 countries surveyed believe that the spread of false information online is a major threat to their country. There is widespread concern over misinformation – and a sense that people are more susceptible to manipulation Despite this, slightly more people (a median of 45%) still say connectivity has made people more accepting of people from different ethnic groups, religions and races than say it has made people less accepting (22%) or had no effect (29%). Some of this may be due to the sense – shared by a median of 44% across the 19 countries – that access to the internet and social media has led people to be less civil in the way they talk about politics. When it comes to politics, the internet and social media are generally seen as disruptive, with a median of 65% saying that people are now more divided in their political opinions. Indeed, in most countries, those who think social media has made it easier to manipulate people with misinformation and rumors are also more likely to think that social media has made people more informed. Despite this, medians of 73% describe people being more informed about both current events in other countries and about events in their own country. Across the six issues tested, few tend to say they see no changes due to increased connectivity – instead seeing things changing both positively and negatively – and often both at the same time.Ī median of 84% say technological connectivity has made people easier to manipulate with false information and rumors – the most among the six issues tested. The publics surveyed believe the internet and social media are affecting societies. The perceived impacts of the internet and social media on society In Japan, France, Israel, Hungary, the UK and Australia, the gap between the youngest and oldest age groups is at least 20 percentage points and ranges as high as 41 points in Poland, where nearly nine-in-ten (87%) younger adults say that social media has been a good thing for democracy in the country and only 46% of adults over 50 say the same. Older adults in 12 countries are less likely to say that social media is a good thing for democracy in their country when compared to their younger counterparts. This pattern is evident in eight other countries as well. This is most clearly observed in the Netherlands, where only four-in-ten (39%) among those who see the spread of false information online as a major threat say that social media has been a good thing for democracy in their country, as opposed to the nearly six-in-ten (57%) among those who do not consider the spread of misinformation online to be a threat who say the same. Those who view the spread of false information online as a major threat to their country are less likely to say that social media is a good thing for democracy, compared with those who view the spread of misinformation online as either a minor threat or not a threat at all. This gap is most evident in Belgium, where 62% of those who feel their political system allows them to have a say in politics also say that social media is a good thing for democracy in their country, compared with 44% among those who say that their political system does not allow them much influence on politics. In eight countries, those who believe that the political system in their country allows them to have an influence on politics are also more likely to say that social media is a good thing for democracy. And in the U.S., only around a third think social media is positive for democracy – the smallest share among all 19 countries surveyed. However, in the Netherlands and France, about four-in-ten agree. In almost every country, close to half or more say this, with the sentiment most common in Singapore, where roughly three-quarters believe social media is a good thing for democracy in their country. When asked whether social media is a good or bad thing for democracy in their country, a median of 57% across 19 countries say that it is a good thing.
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