Habits and Motivations of Citizens in Receiving and Disseminating Disinformation on Social Media

A main problem in the fight against disinformation is the lack of knowledge about the sociodemographic profiles of both recipients and disseminators of false messages circulating on social networks. This research is based on a survey conducted in the Autonomous Region of Madrid (N = 840) aimed at revealing the digital habits and behavior of people over the age of 18 regarding disinformation. The cross-referencing of variables reveals a group composed mainly of women, averaging 31 years and ideologically left-leaning, as the main disseminators of news on social media and, simultaneously, the group most exposed to disinformation. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the group averaging 73 years old reports never sharing news on social media and, rarely, if ever, receiving fake news. When respondents did share disinformation, they argued it was because they believed it to be true and trusted the source.