Research Shows that 2 in 3 People Received Fake News in Brazil's Election Last Year

Data shows that cell phone internet is the main source of news for 32% of people

London

More than two-thirds of people received fake news through WhatsApp during Brazil’s 2018 electoral campaign. Data research firm IDEIA Big Data, shared this revelation during the Brazil UK Forum, a conference that took play on May 18 and 19 at the London School of Economics and Oxford University in the United Kingdom.

According to the research, produced by IDEIA Big Data with 1660 interviews, 67% agreed with the phrase, “I certainly received fake news on WhatsApp during the electoral campaign in 2018,” while 17% disagreed and 16% didn’t disagree and didn’t agree.

The fake news' print screen - Reprodução

The research project says that internet through the cell phone is the primary source of news for 32% of people, losing just to TV with 35%. Radio is the primary source of news for 10% and newspapers for 6%—the two lose out to friends and family with 12%.

In the data, 14% declared that they had shared fake news with political content in the 2018 campaign, while 44% said they didn’t. Forty-two percent didn’t agree nor disagree.

“The results are in line with other research projects done in other countries and show that fake news has become a significant part of electoral campaigns. Before fake news did not reach as many people and with as much velocity,” said Mauricio Moura, founder and CEO of IDEIA Big Data.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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