IU study: 90 percent see fake news as a serious threat to democracy and freedom

• Almost three-quarters of respondents said that their trust in the media had declined overall due to the emergence of fake news. 
• Traditional media and personal networks are important sources of information for many people in Germany. 
• Almost a third of respondents said that they had already fallen for political fake news. 
• Nearly two-thirds of respondents believe that platform operators and politicians are primarily responsible.  

Erfurt, Germany, 4 September 2025. Almost nine out of ten people in Germany (89.9 per cent) consider fake news to be a serious threat to democracy and freedom and a driver of social division. These are the findings of the new study ‘Fact or Fake? Media Literacy in Germany’ conducted by IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU). The study surveyed 1,999 people aged 16 to 65, representative of the population in terms of age and gender.

Respondents view the influence of disinformation critically, especially in a political context: 

• 92.2 per cent agree or strongly agree that fake news is particularly problematic because it is used specifically to manipulate opinion and influence elections.
• 71.8 per cent say that their trust in the media has declined overall due to the emergence of fake news; 64.1 per cent say this in connection with deepfakes.
• 89.0 per cent fear that deepfakes will drive the spread of political misinformation to such an extent that they will influence elections and cause unrest in the political climate. 

Concerns about developments such as fake news and deepfakes are also reflected in media trust: 

• 30.9 per cent of respondents rate AI applications such as ChatGPT as credible. The figure for social media is similarly low at 30.8 per cent. 
• Trust in traditional media is significantly higher: the majority of people in Germany trust radio, television news programmes and online news portals as well as newspapers as sources of information.
• Almost three quarters also cite their personal environment – i.e. friends and family – as a reliable source of information. 

Tagesschau and Co. dominate as sources of information

For 91.4 per cent of people in Germany, it is very or somewhat important to stay informed about current social and political events.

When asked which source of information they use most, traditional media dominate: television news programmes come first with 68.9 per cent, followed by online news portals with 59.3 per cent and radio with 49.9 per cent. Social media ranks fourth (49.0 per cent), followed by personal networks (34.8 per cent). For Generation Z, social media is even the most frequently used source of news.

One in three people have already believed fake political news

However, trust in content is not always justified: 33.1 per cent of people in Germany have believed social or political information that later turned out to be fake news. This is particularly common among under-30s from Generation Z.

Only 15.0 per cent of respondents recognised deepfakes in retrospect, with younger people reporting this more frequently than older people.

However, the respondents are very uncertain: more than a quarter (26.7 per cent) cannot answer with certainty whether they have ever believed fake news about current social or political events and later discovered it to be false. This is despite the fact that 51.9 per cent of respondents said they always or frequently check the accuracy of information about current social and political events. 

The consequences of disinformation: misguided voting decisions, fear and conflicts

The results of the IU study also illustrate the concrete effects that disinformation can have on social interaction and people's decisions: 

• Of the 33.1 and 15.0 per cent of respondents who initially believed fake news or deepfakes, 13.9 per cent say they made a misguided voting decision because of fake news. For deepfakes, this figure is 15.0 per cent.
• 42.8 per cent of those who have already fallen for fake news report stress or anxiety as a result. For deepfakes, this figure is 46.0 per cent.
• 22.8 per cent of these respondents have argued with other people as a result of fake news, compared to 17.7 per cent for deepfakes.

According to the participants, artificial intelligence exacerbates the problem: 84.4 per cent agree completely or somewhat with the following statement: “The use of AI-based search engines (e.g., Google Bard, Perplexity AI) will further increase the spread of fake news in the future.”

The younger the respondent, the greater their knowledge of deepfakes

The representative IU study also shows that almost everyone in Germany (96.3 per cent) is familiar with the term "fake news," regardless of their age. The situation is different for the term "deepfake": only 34.3 per cent of respondents know what it means. The younger the generation, the greater the knowledge of deepfakes.

Majority sees responsibility lying with politicians and platforms

According to Nele Hansen, study expert and Professor of Media Management at IU, “media literacy alone is not enough to tackle disinformation in the form of fake news and deepfakes.”

The study therefore also looked at who is responsible – and what specific measures could help to curb the negative effects of disinformation:

• Almost two-thirds of respondents believe that social media operators (65.1 per cent) and the government and politicians (63.1 per cent) bear the main responsibility for combating fake news and deepfakes.
• 60.3 per cent say that individuals bear the main responsibility, while 52.8 per cent say that the media bear the main responsibility. 
• Almost all respondents are in favour of social media platforms taking measures against disinformation. Only 3.9 per cent do not consider measures necessary. 
• The most frequently mentioned measure was labelling fake news (70.9 per cent), followed by active monitoring and removal of such content (67.5 per cent). Measures such as educating users about fake news and deepfakes (60.8 per cent) and providing fact-checking tools (50.7 per cent) followed at a greater distance. 

About the study

The study "Fact or Fake? Media Literacy in Germany" by IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU) examines people's trust in the media, the role of social media, and fake news and deepfakes and their impact. For the IU study, 1,999 people in Germany aged 16 to 65 were surveyed, representative of their age and gender. The survey took place from 14 to 25 April 2025. 

Complete study at: https://www.iu.de/en/research/studies/media-literacy/