The Maltese are particularly confident in their ability to spot fake news, an EU-wide survey has found.

But slightly more are attracted to catchy headlines than to trustworthy media houses. 

A Eurobarometer survey published earlier this month found that 79 per cent of the Maltese are confident in their ability to spot disinformation when it is disseminated on social media platforms. 

This level of confidence was surpassed only by the Finns, at 81 per cent. 

Across all member states, at least a slim majority of respondents feel confident they can recognise disinformation and fake news.

There are noticeable differences, however, between socio-demographic groups.

Confidence in distinguishing between real news and fake news decreases with age and increases with level of education.

Among respondents still in education, 16 per cent reply feeling ‘very confident’ and 55 per cent ‘somewhat confident’ in recognising disinformation and fake news.

Meanwhile, the Maltese are noticeably more attracted to catchy headlines than the average Europeans. 

35% of Maltese say snappy headline makes them click

Some 35 per cent of Maltese respondents said a snappy heading is the most likely thing to get them to click on a news story. This was 10 percentage points higher than the average European. 

A fifth of Maltese say a good photo or image with a report is what most catches their attention, compared to 18 per cent of EU respondents.

A third of respondants give top priority to trustworthy news when clicking on links.

Conversely, the Maltese were slightly less likely to prioritise the trustworthiness of the news site. While 37 per cent of EU respondents say this is their main concern, 34 per cent of Maltese say this is what would lead them to click on a news link. 

The survey also offered a glimpse of how the Maltese and their European neighbours feel about other media and news. 

Maltese below average when it comes to TV news

It seems the Maltese are below the EU average when it comes to TV news. While three in four EU citizens say they have watched TV news in the past week, only half of the Maltese (52 per cent) say they did so.

Conversely, the Maltese are more likely to get their news online than most Europeans. Some 65 per cent of Maltese respondents said they visited a news website in the previous seven days, while the EU average is at 43 per cent. The Maltese are also twice as likely to get their news from social media. While 26 per cent of EU respondents got their news from social media platforms, the figure shot up to 55 per cent among the Maltese.

Facebook and WhatsApp were the most used online social media platforms referred to across the EU. 

Facebook is the most frequently selected social media platform in 20 member states; moreover, across all EU countries, the platform is mentioned by more than half of respondents. This went from 52 per cent in Germany to 91 per cent in Malta, the highest ratio in the bloc.

Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat are especially common among 15- to 24-year-olds.

For example, while six per cent of those aged over 55 prefer TikTok as an online social media platform, this proportion increases to 49 per cent for 15- to 24-year-olds.