• This represents an increase of five percentage points compared to 2025 and twelve percentage points compared to 2022, when this concern had dropped to 62%

• Compared to the 48 countries analyzed, concern about misinformation in Spain is well above the global average (62%)

In 2026, concern about online misinformation in Spain reached its highest level since this question was first included in 2018: 74% of respondents said they were completely or somewhat concerned about distinguishing between what is real and what is false in digital news. This figure represents a five-point increase compared to 2025 and a twelve-point increase compared to 2022, when this concern had dropped to 62%. At the same time, the percentage of those who are indifferent to the problem of fake news has fallen to 19%, and those who are unconcerned have dropped to 7%—the lowest figure in the entire historical series.

 
Compared to the 48 countries analyzed this year, Spain’s figure is clearly well above the average (62%), trailing only Nigeria (83%), Kenya (81%), the United Kingdom (77%), Australia (77%), Portugal (76%), and the United States (75%). In the European context, Spain’s position is particularly concerning: it ranks third in terms of concern, trailing only the United Kingdom and Portugal and far ahead of its neighboring countries, surpassing France (60%), Italy (59%), and, most notably, Germany (49%). It also ranks above the Nordic countries, where concern is more moderate: Finland (64%), Sweden (58%), Norway (54%), and Denmark (49%).

 
The sociodemographic analysis financial aid better understand the significance of this increase in Spain. The rise does not stem so much from an intensification among groups that were already more concerned about misinformation, but rather from a spread to segments that started from comparatively lower levels in 2025. In other words: those who were already concerned remain so, but some of the groups that had previously been less mobilized in the face of disinformation are showing much greater concern in 2026, which would explain why concern about fake news has become a widely held attitude in Spain.

By gender, concern remains slightly higher among women (76%) than among men (72%). However, the gap has narrowed significantly compared to the previous year, as the increase has been much more pronounced among men (+8 pp) than among women (+2 pp). By age, the trend is similar to that of previous years, and concern about misinformation grows as people get older. The group concerned group is those aged 18 to 24 (63%, -3 pp), while the highest level of concern is found among those over 65, at 82% (+8 pp).

patron saint is also observed across economic and educational levels. Concern is highest among those with middle and high incomes, but the sharpest increase is seen among low-income earners, rising from 60% to 69%. In terms of Education, the increase is particularly noticeable among those with lower levels of education, rising from 65% to 73%. In contrast, groups with higher incomes and higher Education—which already started from higher levels—show more moderate increases. The 2026 data therefore points to a certain broadening of concern about disinformation across society, with growth occurring precisely where it was previously less intense.

From an ideological standpoint, concern remains higher among respondents on the left and in the center (78% and 77%, respectively) than among those on the right (70%). However, a guideline partial convergence is also observed here: the right-wing bloc has increased by five points compared to 2025, while the left has grown to a more limited extent. In other words, disinformation remains a concern somewhat more closely associated with progressive and moderate audiences, but in 2026 it is also gaining ground among sectors that are ideologically less inclined to express such concerns.

In any case, these data should be interpreted data caution. The fact that Spanish citizens express greater concern about disinformation than citizens of other countries does not necessarily mean that there are more hoaxes in Spain, nor that the Spanish media produce more false information. The question measures a perception, not the actual amount of disinformation in circulation. A high level of concern may reflect exhibition discussion of hoaxes, greater social sensitivity to the problem, frequent exposure to dubious content on digital platforms, or a more general distrust of the news environment. In that sense, the data should not be interpreted as test that Spain has more disinformation, but rather as evidence that disinformation has taken particularly strong root in the public consciousness of Spaniards.