EIGHT of 10 Filipinos get their news from Facebook, according to the Ateneo de Manila University School of Government, citing a 2021 study.
In a statement on Wednesday, the university said 79% of Filipinos often get their news from random feeds on the social network. Television was their second source of news at 66%, followed by YouTube at 57% and other news websites at 54%.
“While 79% of the respondents often get their news randomly from Facebook, it does not necessarily mean that Facebook is their only source of news,” Ateneo Associate Professor and project research manager Ma. Rosel San Pascual said. “Respondents generally have multiple sources of news.”
Ateneo said Filipinos tend to read political news on Facebook, even if clicking a story or video does not mean they will finish reading or watching it.
It said people who do not rely solely on Facebook feed for political information think they have a better understanding of politics and are more confident to participate in political discussions.
“Those who are not reliant on their Facebook feed for news have a greater variety of sources of news for politics, government, and governance,” Ateneo said. “They are proactively seeking news, they do not just depend on random news exposure on their Facebook feed, they also encounter news from other sources,” Ms. San Pascual said.
The study showed that people who rely on random news on Facebook are more cynical about politics. Most respondents said they trust traditional media to provide accurate information about politics and politicians.
Ateneo asked 2,000 respondents for the online survey on Oct. 27 to Nov. 12. The team also had researchers from the University of the Philippines. — KATA