KIC Survey: Most People Rely on the Internet to Verify Hoax News

False or misleading information, commonly known as hoaxes, is rampant in society. According to a 2021 survey by the Katadata Insight Center (KIC) and the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo), the majority (59.6%) of respondents rely on the internet to verify hoaxes.

This percentage is even higher than the 52.4% who reported using the internet in previous surveys. This signifies an increasing reliance on the internet for hoax verification.

Besides the internet, family and relatives are also consulted for hoax verification, according to 47.6% of respondents.

Furthermore, 20.6% of respondents checked government websites, while 17.1% consulted neighbors. 12.2% of respondents admitted to ignoring or not seeking verification for hoaxes.

Other sources used for verification included alumni (10.3%), school/university friends (6.5%), neighborhood heads (RT/RW) (4.8%), religious leaders (4.4%), and youth leaders (2.7%).

The survey also revealed that almost half (45.5%) of respondents were unsure about identifying the truthfulness of news. Furthermore, 12% admitted to having spread false information, mostly due to negligence or lack of careful consideration.

This survey involved 10,000 respondents aged 13-70 across 34 provinces, conducted from October 4-24, 2021. The sampling methodology used multistage random sampling with home visits in the survey area.