A majority of Filipinos believe that fake news on the internet and in traditional media is a serious issue, according to a new Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey commissioned by the Stratbase Group.
“The dangers of disinformation grow, especially as the 2025 midterm elections approach. Fake news manipulates public opinion, distorts democratic choices, and enables corrupt forces to maintain power,” Stratbase Group President Dindo Manhit said as he revealed the findings on Wednesday.
The survey, conducted from February 15 to 19, gathered responses from 1,800 Filipinos nationwide with a margin of error of ±2 percentage points.
The results showed that 59% of respondents consider the spread of fake news on social media platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube a serious problem.
Another 20% said the issue is not serious, while 21% remained undecided.
When asked about fake news in traditional media, including television, radio, and newspapers, 62% said it is a serious problem. Eighteen percent said it is not serious, and 21% were undecided.
The data also showed that 55% of Filipinos frequently encounter fake news on both social and traditional media.
Within this group, 27% said they often see false information, while 28% said they sometimes do.
Thirty-eight percent reported rarely encountering fake news, while 7% said they never do.
Manhit warned about foreign interference, specifically highlighting pro-China narratives pushed by organized social media operations.
He explained that “cyber troops”—a mix of bots and human trolls—spread propaganda, attack critics, and divert attention from crucial issues like the West Philippine Sea.
These groups create fake content, including blogs, videos, and memes, to mimic grassroots activism and promote pro-China policies, he added.
“They target social media networks with fake news and amplify a network “influencers” and bloggers by inflating the number of likes, shares, and followers—creating an artificial sense of popularity, relevance and momentum,” Manhit warned.
The survey revealed that 65% of Filipinos find it difficult to distinguish between true and false information in the media.
Of those, 43% described the task as somewhat difficult, while 22% found it very difficult.
“Malign activities take on many organizational forms and diverse actors are leveraging social media to shape public opinion, set political agendas and messaging, and propagate ideas,” Manhit said.