False Info Perceived as True by Many Voters in Japan Election: Survey

Tokyo, Feb. 18 (Jiji Press)–False information spread during the campaign for the Feb. 8 general election in Japan was perceived as true by about 80 pct of voters who encountered it, according to a university survey. The online survey was conducted by Toyo University professor Morihiro Ogasawara from the night of Feb. 8 to Feb. 10. It covered 1,800 voters aged between 18 and 79, and received valid responses from 1,793 of them. “A large amount of false information was spread during the short campaign period, seemingly outpacing the capacity of television and other news media,” Ogasawara said. Of the respondents, 921, or about half, said they saw or heard any of five confirmed cases of false information. The false claim that condominium price increases were due to purchases by foreigners for investment purposes was the most widely known, having been seen or heard by around a quarter of all respondents. Of them, 89.6 pct said they believed it was true. The misperception rate was about 73 pct for the false claims that Tetsuo Saito, then co-leader of the opposition Centrist Reform Alliance, said there are things that are more important than people, and that abolishing the Children and Family Agency would generate financial resources for tax reductions. When asked how they were exposed to false information, 32.7 pct said they saw it on television, while 22.7 pct pointed to news websites and apps and 20.0 pct cited social media. The misperception rate by route of exposure was highest for TV, at 84.9 pct, followed by 82.4 pct for conversations with friends and family members, and 80.3 pct for news websites and apps. Referring to the possibility that TV news helped spread false information, Ogasawara called for careful reports on fact-checking results. Amid the spread of fake videos created using generative artificial intelligence, he also said, “It has become difficult for individuals to check the facts, so it is necessary to create an environment that allows easy access to reliable information.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]