A large number of people in Germany find it increasingly difficult to determine whether information encountered online is genuine. According to a survey conducted by the IT industry association Bitkom, nearly two-thirds (63%) of respondents view the reliability of news sources as fundamentally hard to assess. Furthermore, 41% frequently come across content that makes them uncertain about its accuracy, and an overwhelming 91% have encountered “fake news”-information that is intentionally spread, false, or misleading. Of these, half (51%) have already shared content without being sure if it was true.
Regarding frequency, nine percent of respondents claim to encounter fake news “very often” while another 30% report encountering it “rather often”. Thirty-six% say it happens “rather seldom” and 16% say “very seldom”. Only 4% reported never encountering fake news. While the proportion of people who never perceived fake news is higher among those who do not use the internet (28%), this indicates that even outside the digital sphere, a significant fraction of the population assumes contact with false information. In stark contrast, only two percent of internet users reported never encountering fake news, a figure that was 21% in 2023.
Deepfakes are now a recognized concept for many people. Seventy-five percent have heard of them, with this number rising to 56% in 2024. Sixty-one percent reported having encountered deepfakes directly; 20% are completely certain of this encounter, while 41% at least suspect it. These deepfakes were primarily perceived as videos (87%) or images (73%), significantly less often as audio (25%). This leads to a clear assessment of risk, as 89% consider deepfakes to be dangerous, although only 34% feel confident in their ability to reliably detect them.
Disinformation tends to appear frequently in areas that shape current news and daily life. Seventy-four percent cited the USA and US politics as a subject field where they noticed fake news. This is followed by 63% mentioning wars and international conflicts, and 58% pointing to economic issues and price changes. However, misinformation is not limited to “hard” politics; 51% mentioned celebrities and entertainment, 41% named migration and refugees, and 40% specified crime and public violence.
Health matters, as well as environmental and climate concerns, also frequently appear in the media, cited by 38% of respondents each. The issue even extends into the immediate family life of many, with 26% naming children, school, and safety-such as warnings about alleged dangers-content that often circulates in group and parental chats.
When it comes to actions against disinformation and deepfakes, many respondents expect stricter enforcement. Eighty-seven percent of people exposed to fake news believe that knowingly distributing it should be punished, and 84% demand that those who intentionally create disinformation should also face penalties. Furthermore, there is a strong desire for educational measures across all generations. 85% want children to learn how to recognize disinformation and fake news in school, and 71% support providing special information to older adults who may lack social media literacy.
Bitkom Research gathered this data through telephone interviews with 1,006 individuals aged 16 and over in Germany between the 12th and 17th weeks of 2026.
