GITNUXREPORT 2025

Inaccurate Statistics

Most Americans struggle to identify and combat rapidly spreading fake news online.

Jannik Linder

Co-Founder of Gitnux, specialized in content and tech since 2016.

First published: April 29, 2025

Our Commitment to Accuracy

Rigorous fact-checking • Reputable sources • Regular updatesLearn more

Statistic 1

68% of Americans say they have mistakenly shared false information online at some point

Statistic 2

The average user spends approximately 2 hours per day consuming questionable or unverified content online

Statistic 3

Fake news stories have increased political polarization by 20%, according to recent studies

Statistic 4

54% of Americans believe that social media platforms are responsible for mitigating the spread of fake news

Statistic 5

92% of experts agree that fake news is a serious threat to democracy

Statistic 6

The median time for fact-checking a piece of viral misinformation is approximately 16 hours

Statistic 7

Approximately 80% of people admit to sharing false information online at some point

Statistic 8

37% of Americans have encountered fake news on social media

Statistic 9

70% of consumers are unable to identify false news stories online

Statistic 10

Fake news spreads six times faster than true news on social media platforms

Statistic 11

The average person encounters around 5,000 advertisements or messages daily, many of which may be misleading or inaccurate

Statistic 12

60% of fake news stories are designed to be sensationalistic to attract clicks

Statistic 13

Nearly 50% of Americans report having shared a news story they later found out was false

Statistic 14

More than 30% of online social media users have encountered conspiracy theories that are false

Statistic 15

85% of misinformation online is designed to evoke strong emotional responses

Statistic 16

Fake news has been identified as a key factor in the polarization of political opinions in over 70 countries

Statistic 17

Studies show that fake news articles can generate more engagement than legitimate news, sometimes by threefold

Statistic 18

52% of fake news is shared without verification, often through social media

Statistic 19

64% of American adults express concern about the spread of misinformation online

Statistic 20

Nearly 90% of social media users have encountered inaccurate or misleading health information online

Statistic 21

30% of fake news stories are generated by automated bots

Statistic 22

76% of users believe social media has a negative impact on society due to misinformation

Statistic 23

45% of global internet users have encountered misinformation related to COVID-19

Statistic 24

43% of URLs linking to fake news are shared without any fact-checking

Statistic 25

Fake news stories with emotional appeals generate 30% more shares than neutral stories

Statistic 26

80% of respondents in a global survey said they have difficulty distinguishing fake news from real news

Statistic 27

Over 10% of all online content is fake news, according to some estimates

Statistic 28

Only 36% of social media posts flagged as false are actually corrected or removed

Statistic 29

49% of journalists report having been misled by false information, impacting their reporting accuracy

Statistic 30

The reach of misinformation on Facebook has been linked to an increase of 12% in political hostility

Statistic 31

66% of fake news shared on social media is created intentionally

Statistic 32

40% of online users are aware that many news stories they read are potentially false or misleading

Statistic 33

Only 25% of fake news articles get flagged by fact-checkers before going viral

Statistic 34

72% of misinformation is spread through visual content, such as images or videos, rather than text

Statistic 35

Thousands of fake news websites generate billions of visits globally each year, contributing significantly to online misinformation

Statistic 36

54% of Americans believe that social media companies should do more to prevent the spread of false information

Statistic 37

49% of respondents in a survey believe they have been targeted by fake news campaigns

Statistic 38

55% of fake news stories contain inaccuracies that are outright false or misleading

Statistic 39

Misinformation related to climate change has increased by over 60% in social media channels over the past five years

Statistic 40

Fake news articles tend to have a lifespan of just 13 hours before they are replaced or forgotten

Statistic 41

75% of fake news stories are designed to target specific emotional or political biases

Statistic 42

Over 1 billion fake accounts are responsible for spreading misinformation on social media worldwide

Statistic 43

42% of fake news originates from a small number of prolific sources, showing high concentration of misinformation creation

Statistic 44

Fact-checking organizations have seen a 50% increase in requests related to fake news during election years

Statistic 45

On average, fake news posts are viewed 1.7 times more than legitimate news posts

Statistic 46

33% of social media users express concern about unknowingly sharing fake news

Statistic 47

65% of Americans do not trust news media at all or only some of the time

Statistic 48

48% of people believe that fake news is more harmful than traditional news

Statistic 49

41% of Americans cannot recognize fake news headlines from legitimate ones

Statistic 50

75% of people believe they can distinguish between real and fake news, but only 50% truly can

Statistic 51

61% of people feel overwhelmed by the volume of misinformation they encounter online

Statistic 52

58% of Americans support greater government regulation to combat fake news

Statistic 53

The cost of correcting misinformation in media outlets can average around $100,000 per incident

Statistic 54

35% of university students believe that most news they encounter online is unreliable

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Sources

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Trust Badges - Publications that have cited our reports

Key Highlights

Approximately 80% of people admit to sharing false information online at some point
37% of Americans have encountered fake news on social media
70% of consumers are unable to identify false news stories online
Fake news spreads six times faster than true news on social media platforms
65% of Americans do not trust news media at all or only some of the time
The average person encounters around 5,000 advertisements or messages daily, many of which may be misleading or inaccurate
60% of fake news stories are designed to be sensationalistic to attract clicks
Nearly 50% of Americans report having shared a news story they later found out was false
48% of people believe that fake news is more harmful than traditional news
More than 30% of online social media users have encountered conspiracy theories that are false
85% of misinformation online is designed to evoke strong emotional responses
Fake news has been identified as a key factor in the polarization of political opinions in over 70 countries
41% of Americans cannot recognize fake news headlines from legitimate ones

Did you know that nearly 80% of people admit to sharing false information online at some point, fueling a misinformation epidemic that spreads six times faster than the truth and is reshaping our society in alarming ways?

Behavioral Responses and Sharing Habits

68% of Americans say they have mistakenly shared false information online at some point
The average user spends approximately 2 hours per day consuming questionable or unverified content online

Behavioral Responses and Sharing Habits Interpretation

Given that 68% of Americans admit to sharing false information and spend around two hours daily consuming dubious content, it's clear that in our digital age, the line between fact and fiction often blurs faster than we can fact-check.

Impact on Society and Politics

Fake news stories have increased political polarization by 20%, according to recent studies
54% of Americans believe that social media platforms are responsible for mitigating the spread of fake news
92% of experts agree that fake news is a serious threat to democracy

Impact on Society and Politics Interpretation

While over half of Americans hold social media platforms responsible for combating fake news, a staggering 92% of experts warn that the unchecked spread of false information poses a dire threat to democracy, highlighting the urgent need for reliable journalism in an era increasingly divided by digital misinformation.

Information Verification

The median time for fact-checking a piece of viral misinformation is approximately 16 hours

Information Verification Interpretation

While 16 hours may seem quick in the digital age, in the race to curb viral misinformation, it's a stark reminder that inaccuracy often outruns the truth.

Prevalence and Spread of Fake News

Approximately 80% of people admit to sharing false information online at some point
37% of Americans have encountered fake news on social media
70% of consumers are unable to identify false news stories online
Fake news spreads six times faster than true news on social media platforms
The average person encounters around 5,000 advertisements or messages daily, many of which may be misleading or inaccurate
60% of fake news stories are designed to be sensationalistic to attract clicks
Nearly 50% of Americans report having shared a news story they later found out was false
More than 30% of online social media users have encountered conspiracy theories that are false
85% of misinformation online is designed to evoke strong emotional responses
Fake news has been identified as a key factor in the polarization of political opinions in over 70 countries
Studies show that fake news articles can generate more engagement than legitimate news, sometimes by threefold
52% of fake news is shared without verification, often through social media
64% of American adults express concern about the spread of misinformation online
Nearly 90% of social media users have encountered inaccurate or misleading health information online
30% of fake news stories are generated by automated bots
76% of users believe social media has a negative impact on society due to misinformation
45% of global internet users have encountered misinformation related to COVID-19
43% of URLs linking to fake news are shared without any fact-checking
Fake news stories with emotional appeals generate 30% more shares than neutral stories
80% of respondents in a global survey said they have difficulty distinguishing fake news from real news
Over 10% of all online content is fake news, according to some estimates
Only 36% of social media posts flagged as false are actually corrected or removed
49% of journalists report having been misled by false information, impacting their reporting accuracy
The reach of misinformation on Facebook has been linked to an increase of 12% in political hostility
66% of fake news shared on social media is created intentionally
40% of online users are aware that many news stories they read are potentially false or misleading
Only 25% of fake news articles get flagged by fact-checkers before going viral
72% of misinformation is spread through visual content, such as images or videos, rather than text
Thousands of fake news websites generate billions of visits globally each year, contributing significantly to online misinformation
54% of Americans believe that social media companies should do more to prevent the spread of false information
49% of respondents in a survey believe they have been targeted by fake news campaigns
55% of fake news stories contain inaccuracies that are outright false or misleading
Misinformation related to climate change has increased by over 60% in social media channels over the past five years
Fake news articles tend to have a lifespan of just 13 hours before they are replaced or forgotten
75% of fake news stories are designed to target specific emotional or political biases
Over 1 billion fake accounts are responsible for spreading misinformation on social media worldwide
42% of fake news originates from a small number of prolific sources, showing high concentration of misinformation creation
Fact-checking organizations have seen a 50% increase in requests related to fake news during election years
On average, fake news posts are viewed 1.7 times more than legitimate news posts
33% of social media users express concern about unknowingly sharing fake news

Prevalence and Spread of Fake News Interpretation

With fake news spreading six times faster than truth and nearly half of Americans unknowingly sharing false stories, it's clear that navigating the online information landscape has become less a quest for truth and more a high-stakes game of emotional roulette, where sensationalism often trumps accuracy and fact-checking is a rare commodity.

Public Trust in Media and Information Verification

65% of Americans do not trust news media at all or only some of the time
48% of people believe that fake news is more harmful than traditional news
41% of Americans cannot recognize fake news headlines from legitimate ones
75% of people believe they can distinguish between real and fake news, but only 50% truly can
61% of people feel overwhelmed by the volume of misinformation they encounter online
58% of Americans support greater government regulation to combat fake news
The cost of correcting misinformation in media outlets can average around $100,000 per incident
35% of university students believe that most news they encounter online is unreliable

Public Trust in Media and Information Verification Interpretation

With nearly half of Americans perceiving fake news as more harmful than traditional outlets, and only half able to accurately identify it despite 75% claiming they can, our digital literacy crisis is fueling misinformation's cost while prompting calls for increased regulation—highlighting a nation caught in the crossfire of trust, truth, and the tumult of the information age.