This blog provides some of the key findings from our new qualitative research about mis and disinformation, exploring the ways to navigate and mitigate its impact. This research builds on the findings from our quantitative survey published in November 2024 which explored UK adults’ behaviour and attitudes in this area.
It is important to be clear from the outset that misinformation is a subjective term. There are a range of ways that misinformation can be characterised, which makes it important to understand the wider context of people’s attitudes and knowledge.
We carry out this research as part of our media literacy programme of work, to help inform Ofcom’s media literacy duty under the Online Safety Act to heighten public awareness and understanding of the nature and impact of misinformation and disinformation online, as well as ways to mitigate exposure to such information.
Many people are concerned about the impact of mis and disinformation, and anyone can be susceptible to it
“Misinformation isn’t just about people believing the wrong thing - it has real-world consequences” (Female, 35+)
We heard this from one of the participants we spoke to in our study, and the sentiment echoed through the majority of people we spoke to. Mis and disinformation worries many, and the online and media landscape we are in today is heightening its impact on individuals and on wider society.
Disinformation has been defined by the UK Government as the deliberate creation and spreading of false and/or manipulated information that is intended to deceive and mislead people. Misinformation is the unintentional spread of false information.[1]
Our tracking research suggests that the prevalence of mis and disinformation is increasing online.[2] Furthermore, our data published in the autumn showed that over two fifths (43%) of UK adults had reported encountering mis and disinformation in the past 4 weeks (at the time of questioning). Of these, nine in ten were concerned about the societal impacts, and just under two thirds were concerned about the impact on themselves of encountering mis and disinformation.[3] Anyone and everyone can be vulnerable to mis and disinformation.
We are living in a complex information landscape, and concerns and susceptibilities around mis and dis information are widespread
We wanted to understand how support strategies and messaging may best be crafted to help mitigate against mis and disinformation, and so carried out qualitative research among three groups of people:
- Those who had previously held a minority view[4]
- The general public in online workshops
- Media experts
With these participants we explored and co-created messaging, potential support strategies and identified trusted voices in order to help counter mis and disinformation.
Our participants described various barriers that they felt prevented them - and others - from identifying mis and disinformation. These will resonate with many of us, and include:
- Information overload: It was not surprising to see that many people felt like they were drowning in options for information sources. For every news story there could be hundreds of articles, opinion pieces, podcast episodes, cartoons, social media reels etc. Participants felt overwhelmed trying to find truthful information.
“I just didn’t know what to believe…there was just so much information.” (Male, 35+, previously held a minority view)
- AI-generated content: As outlined in our Understanding Generative AI Media Literacy discussion paper, “as generative AI becomes increasingly convincing at mimicking human-generated content, it is likely that the lines between real and fake content will become increasingly blurred, making it more challenging for users to discern what information is authentic and what is AI-generated mis and disinformation”[5]. This aligns with participants’ concerns over how they/their loved ones cannot always spot mis and disinformation.
“[My parents] often do not double check [information] before sharing… and they cannot recognise the signs when a video or picture may be AI-generated.” (Male, 35+)
- Echo chambers and confirmation bias: We are naturally drawn to views and opinions that align closely with ours,[6] and this is recognised by recommender algorithms that want to keep our attention. As a result, participants reported experiencing ongoing confirmation of their view through the online information and communities they were engaging with, as well as via social media.
“I wanted to believe because everybody else was believing [it].” (Male, 35+, previously held a minority view)
It could be tempting for people to believe that others are more susceptible to believing mis and disinformation. This is indeed what some participants said when first asked about mis and disinformation. Many of them projected susceptibilities onto older or younger generations, e.g. their children, their parents or grandparents:
“My parents don’t question anything, they just take the news they read as fact.” (Female, 16-34)
“Younger audience[s] tend to believe most things if they are promoted by a celebrity or influencer no matter what they say or sell… I think my eldest daughter is influenced by misleading information because she follows many social platforms.” (Male, 35+)
Despite this, there ended up being a consensus that everyone was likely to be susceptible to mis and disinformation at some stage in their lives.
How can we encourage people to talk about mis and disinformation without fear or judgement?
Whilst there are a wealth of insights and ways forward within the report we’re publishing today, one we want to amplify here is making space in our family and social groups, for civil society organisations, and broadcasters and other news providers to talk about mis and disinformation.
In Ofcom’s three-year media literacy strategy, we have highlighted the need to make media literacy “everyone’s business - online platforms, parents, educators, third-sector organisations, providers of health and social care, professionals working with children, broadcasters (including the public service broadcasters) and others. To realise the full potential of media literacy in the UK, contributions and collaboration from all is essential.”[7]
We invite you to think about how to create safe spaces for open, judgment-free conversations about this issue. Our research shows this approach helps encourage those with minority views to navigate a way through mis and disinformation and supports everyone in dealing with false information. If this is something your organisation is already doing, do consider how you might further amplify your activities in order to share best practice.
What are the optimal approaches to messaging and who are the trusted voices who can encourage critical thinking?
In our research, those who we spoke to who had previously held a minority view revealed that it took them some time to transition away from that view. There was no ‘eureka!’ moment, nor one catalyst.
"I didn't change immediately on my opinions … [it] took a while, you know, listening to some of this news, researching, hear the interviews [with scientists and doctors on TV news].” (Female, 16-34, previously held a minority view)
Environments need to change over a longer period of time and the taboos around holding minority views need to be addressed.
“Being able to share my views more openly would have helped during that time.” “[The taboo of the view] ...that made it worse because I felt like I couldn't actually express what I actually thought to a lot of people." (Female, 16-34, previously held a minority view)
“Allow for open dialogue, let them feel welcome to have the conversation without feeling judged.” (Male, 16-34, previously held a minority view)
When asked who a trusted voice would be to help counter mis and disinformation, names included Professor Brian Cox and David Attenborough, famously informative figures yet who also talk openly, non-judgmentally and not patronisingly about the issues they are knowledgeable about.
“The tone should be non-confrontational, not patronising, non-judgmental, like don't tell people they're stupid or wrong.” (Male, 16-34, previously held a minority view)
Participants wanted voices and messages to come from all segments of society. For instance: community leaders, educators, respected peers who share commonalities with a target audience. Media experts we spoke to highlighted that partnership voices could be powerful for reaching particular audiences, e.g. experts paired with trusted people in the community – think David Attenborough paired with schoolteachers or Professor Brian Cox together with your local GP.
Our participants told us that multi-pronged approaches felt best. As noted earlier, everyone can be susceptible to mis and disinformation, but this does not mean one message/strategy will suit all. Multiple channels and tailored messaging must be used to target different segments of the population.
Some of the suggestions from these workshops reflect approaches we are already trialling with organisations we have commissioned to test out different approaches to talking about mis and disinformation. One group suggested Men’s Sheds would be a good place to have tricky conversations about mis and disinformation. Red Chair Highland, a micro social enterprise based in Inverness, who we are supporting as part of our Untold Stories programme, will be doing just that, in Dingwall, this July.
For more information on targeted messaging and interventions, please read our ‘What works in delivering media literacy activities’ report.
"Everyone should be involved in sharing that [messaging] … to make sure the information is spread wide … it would require different sources definitely.” (Female, 16-34, previously held a minority view)
As this research has confirmed, mis and disinformation is a complex societal issue, therefore will need a societal effort to transition to a place where mis and disinformation can be spoken about openly and therefore navigated with more critical awareness. We want media literacy to be everyone’s business, enabling people to be equipped with the skills to critically evaluate information on their own terms.
To find out more, please download our report and literature review.
Notes
[1] Fact Sheet on the CDU and RRU - GOV.UK
[2] Adults Media Use and Attitudes: Half (49%) of adult online communication platform users believe they have seen a deliberately untrue or misleading news story on the apps they use - up from 45% last year. Online Experiences Tracker: 41% of UK internet users aged 13+ have reported encountering misinformation in the past 4 weeks in 2025, this is higher than the previous 3 years it has been asked.
[3] Ofcom quantitative mis and disinformation report
[4] As explained in previous Ofcom research ‘Understanding experiences of minority beliefs on online communication platforms’, we are defining a minority belief or view here as one that is not widely held by the UK general population, and includes a wider category of beliefs than other more specific terms such as mis and disinformation.
[5] Understanding Generative AI