4 out of 10 Vietnamese Youth are exposed to fake news or misleading information on weekly basis 

In our digital age when people are most exposed to information and where data has become the new gold, we investigated how Vietnamese consume news, how much they trust what they see and how safe do they feel when sharing their data. The results of the “media trust and data privacy” report are based on two surveys carried out by Indochina Research in November 2021 (n=610 in key cities) and May 2022 across 55 provinces (n= 3710 in both urban and rural). 

Overall, 30% of the population recognize facing fake news or misleading information at least once a week, GEN Z and Y being of more concerned as 4 out of 10 recognize being exposed weekly. Traditional media (TV, Radio, paper newspaper) remain the most trusted source of information while social media are the least trusted source of news with less than 1 out of 3 users trusting social platforms though most rely access them in their daily life. As we track trust in journalists, we also measure a significant increase (+9%pts from 2016) in the level of trust for news writers but still about ½ of respondent do not really trust them. 

So be alert of contents you watch or read online as simple exposure can contribute to behavior change and make sure to factcheck news before share them. 

Besides, how personal data are used is not totally known. Less than 40% of users trust social media sites and e-commerce platforms in keeping their data private. This shows concerns over website policies and transparency. How many of us have to agree on lengthy general conditions before using a service without reading the fine print? The survey showed that there is a high correlation between people’s awareness on how media platforms use their data and the level of concern about how the data is used. These concerns could be fueled by the fact that ½ of the population has already faced a “digital incident” including receiving spam text message on their mobile or leaked personal information. 

For more details, please download our full report here: 

English Version: IRL VN – Media trust & data privacy in Vietnam – ENG .pdf

Vietnamese Version: IRL VN – Mức độ tin tưởng truyền thông & bảo mật dữ liệu tại Việt Nam – VN.pdf

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