• by Ray Schultz , June 14, 2023

Many readers worldwide say they saw false or misleading information in the media last week. But the topics vary with the country, according to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023.   

For instance, 45% in Slovakia have seen misinformation about the war in Ukraine, and 41% have seen it concerning politics.  

In the U.S., 42% of readers have seen misinformation about politics and 42% about COVID-19. In addition, 35% have seen false news about climate change and 26% about the war in Ukraine.  

Only 26% in the UK claim exposure to misinformation about politics and 31% about COVID-19. And 19% have seen fake news about the war in Ukraine.  

The percentages among Japanese readers are lower across the board. 

In general, trust in news has fallen across markets by 2% in the last year. Of the readers polled worldwide, 40% say they trust most news most of the time. 

Overall, concern about fake news on the internet is highest in Africa:

• Africa — 77% 
• North America — 65%
• Latin America — 62% 
• Asia-Pacific — 56% 
• Europe — 53%

Reuters surveyed 2,081 U.S. consumers from February to March 2023.