A majority of Filipino adults consider false information or disinformation a “big problem” in the country, but a sizeable portion of internet users remain open to believing online information simply because it is widely shared, a Pulse Asia survey results released on Monday, July 27 showed.

Pulse Asia’s “Ulat ng Bayan” survey, conducted from June 28 to July 3 and 6, with 2,400 respondents, found that 72 percent of Filipino adults consider the spread of false information a big problem, while 24 percent were undecided and only 4 percent viewed it as a “small problem.”

Of the 72 percent, 32 percent said the problem of disinformation in the Philippines is “very big,” while 40 percent said “somewhat big.”

However, 41 percent of Filipino internet users said they would be inclined to believe information they encounter online if it is shared by many people.

Another 44 percent were undecided on whether they would believe such information.

Pulse Asia also found that when internet users encounter conflicting information online, 35 percent use the source of the news as their guide in deciding what to believe, while 33 percent rely on their personal beliefs about the issue.

Other factors cited were the number of shares or likes at 9 percent, the opinions of relatives or friends at 9 percent, the opinion of a trusted government personality at 7 percent, and the opinion of a trusted private-sector personality at 5 percent.

Only 2 percent said they would rely on a popular celebrity or influencer.

When asked how they would determine which of two conflicting versions of information was true, 56 percent of Filipino adults said they would look for another trustworthy source.

Meanwhile, 19 percent said they would believe the information that most people agree with, 14 percent would believe the first information they encountered, and 11 percent would simply accept that there are always two sides to every story.

The findings come amid the widespread use of the internet and social media in the country.

Pulse Asia found that 85 percent of Filipino adults use the internet, with 80 percent of internet users going online more than once a day.

Nearly all internet users, or 99 percent, have a Facebook account, making it the country's most widely used social media platform.

Facebook is also the leading online source of news, cited by 91 percent of internet users, followed by YouTube at 61 percent.

Political news is among the most common reasons Filipinos go online, with 97 percent of internet users saying they read, watch, or listen to political news.

Another 91 percent use the internet to access other content that interests them.

The survey also found that 42 percent of internet users have a TikTok account, 17 percent have Instagram, and 6 percent have X or Twitter accounts.

Pulse Asia said TikTok was the only platform apart from Facebook and YouTube to register a marked increase in account ownership from March, rising by seven percentage points.

The Ulat ng Bayan survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews and has a ±2 percentage point margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level.