In today’s digital landscape, misinformation spreads rapidly across social media and messaging platforms, influencing public opinion and shaping conversations. Understanding how and why people encounter, verify, and share false information is critical to addressing these challenges. 

To explore these human factors in information disorder, LIRNEasia conducted a nationally representative survey in Sri Lanka. The study spanned 150 Grama Niladhari divisions, the country’s smallest administrative units. A total of 2,610 respondents were surveyed, including 1,797 Sinhala news consumers and 813 Tamil news consumers, all aged over 18 and able to consume and comprehend news in their respective languages.  

The study aimed to understand why some people fall for false news while others see through it. It examined respondents’ news habits and the sources they trusted. The findings highlighted how people verified and shared information they received online, revealing important insights for combating misinformation. You can interact with the dashboards below to explore our findings in more depth. 

News consumers who share news  

A majority of study participants, 81% of Sinhala news consumers and 74% of Tamil news consumers, reported that they actively share the news they receive. Interestingly, many of them claimed to verify the content before sharing it. Among those who actively share news, 66% of Sinhala news consumers and 74% of Tamil news consumers said they usually check information before sharing it. However, a small minority of those who actively share news, 2% of Sinhala and 3% of Tamil news consumers, reported being unfamiliar with the concept of verification and said they had never heard of it. 

Figure 1: News consumers who share news and verify before sharing 

Use the filter option to view insights from the Sinhala or Tamil news consumer data analysis

 

News consumers who received false news

Most of the study participants claimed they were aware of having received false news in the past, with 66% of Sinhala news consumers and 57% of Tamil news consumers indicating awareness of it. Among those who were aware that they had received false news, nearly half verified it by asking family or friends, with 47% of Sinhala news consumers and 48% of Tamil news consumers using this as their most common verification method. The second most common verification method was using offline information sources such as newspapers, radio, and TV, with 46% of Sinhala news consumers and 40% of Tamil news consumers reporting this approach. Following this, approximately one-third of Sinhala news consumers (33%) and over a quarter of Tamil news consumers (27%) relied on online news sources as their third most common method of verification.  

Unfortunately, more advanced news verification methods, such as using digital tools like reverse image search or checking fact-checking sites on the internet, were not commonly used among participants. Less than 2% of Tamil news consumers and under 7% of Sinhala news consumers reported checking fact-checking sites, while only 1% of Tamil news consumers and 2% of Sinhala news consumers used tools like reverse image search. Further seeking verification from experts was reported by only 16% of Tamil and 17% of Sinhala news consumers. 

 Figure 2: News consumers who received false news and how they verified them 

Use the filter option to view insights from the Sinhala or Tamil news consumer data analysis

 

News consumers who knowingly shared false information 

Among participants who actively share news and were aware that they had received false news, about half admitted to having knowingly shared false information they received. 56% of Sinhala news consumers and 54% of Tamil news consumers reported such behavior. However, nearly half of those who knowingly shared false information said they did so to debunk it, with 61% of Tamil news consumers and 46% of Sinhala news consumers stating that they shared it to tell others it was inaccurate. Alarmingly, 41% of Sinhala news consumers reported having shared false information because they believed it conveyed a positive message. Notably, 28% of Tamil news consumers said they had shared false information with the intention of sparking discussion. 

Figure 3: News consumers who knowingly shared false news and why they shared them 

Use the filter option to view insights from the Sinhala or Tamil news consumer data analysis

 

Authored by Isuru Samaratunga (Research Manager, LIRNEasia) & Isuru Udakara Yakandawala (Junior Researcher, LIRNEasia)