Based on five years of Facebook data, the study described in the article “Beyond engagement: demographic, temporal, and topic variation in misinformation exposure on Facebook across European media systemic regions” shows that previous assumptions about who sees and shares misinformation do not necessarily hold true - especially in a European context.

While many previous studies have been based on who shares misinformation - often from an American perspective - this study focuses instead on exposure, i.e. who has actually seen misinformation on Facebook. Using a large dataset of links shared on Facebook, the researchers analyze how exposure varies across five European media systemic regions between 2017 and 2022.

Key findings

• Women between the ages of 35 and 44 were the group most exposed to misinformation. This contrasts with previous findings, which have often pointed to older men.
• Misinformation most often relates to major international events such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
• The content of misinformation varies significantly between different regions and age groups:
  • Younger users are often exposed to sensationalist content and celebrities.
  • Older users see more political content and grand conspiracies.
  • Women are more exposed to health-related misinformation, while men watch more about conspiracies and drugs.
• The amount of misinformation was highest in Southern and Eastern European countries and lowest in the Nordics - which is consistent with existing theories about the role of the media as resistance to misinformation.

The study shows that exposure does not necessarily follow the same patterns as sharing. It thus provides a more nuanced picture of how misinformation moves through social media landscapes - and who it reaches. The study also emphasizes the need for future research and measures such as digital awareness campaigns to take into account demographic differences and regional media structures.

Read the study here.