Key factors in identifying trustworthy news worldwide 2020

A survey from June 2020 found that in many countries respondents found it important to get information from a website or app that appears to be independent and unbiased, especially in Nigeria where 57 percent of respondents reported that this was key in order for them to be able to trust whether or not information was true. In Argentina, the survey participants felt that it was important to know the person who wrote the news, with 55 percent of respondents more likely to trust information if they recognize who created it.

Most important factors in helping consumers trust that online news and information is true in selected countries worldwide as of June 2020

Characteristic	Total EMEA	Argentina	Australia	Brazil	India	Nigeria	U.S.
Being familiar with the website or app on which it appears	39%	51%	43%	48%	46%	43%	46%
Knowing the website or app on which it appears is independent and unbiased	46%	44%	46%	45%	48%	57%	48%
Recognising the person or organization that wrote or created it	43%	55%	47%	47%	44%	45%	47%
Seeing it has been shared by a friend or someone you know	10%	12%	12%	16%	29%	16%	12%
Seeing it has a lot of shares, likes or comments next to it	9%	11%	9%	14%	30%	18%	9%
If it fits with your understanding of the issues reported	24%	20%	35%	30%	38%	35%	28%
Knowing the website or app on which it appears is based in	16%	20%	29%	22%	35%	19%	23%
The website or app on which it appears is near the top of internet search results	12%	17%	12%	23%	36%	25%	13%
If you search for it, a lot of other websites give the same information	43%	47%	43%	55%	50%	57%	45%
It has accurate spelling and grammar	35%	32%	36%	38%	27%	16%	33%
Other	2%	3%	3%	2%	1%	2%	3%
Don't know	10%	6%	9%	5%	4%	3%	11%

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Release date

March 2021

More information

Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

January 6 to June 18, 2020*

Number of respondents

35,030 respondents

Age group

16-70 years

Method of interview

Online survey

Supplementary notes

Question: Thinking about the news and current affairs information you get online, which of the following factors, if any, are the most important in making you trust information is true?

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