University Students’ Knowledge at Determining Fake News: A Comparative Analysis

The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge of the respondents about fake news. Also, to determine how they distinguish the facts from fake news and the relationship of their socio-demographic profile to their knowledge about fake news. A descriptive research design and purposive sampling were used. A questionnaire was utilized to collect data which was composed of the profile, questions regarding their knowledge about fake news, their perception on how they distinguish fact from fake news and their source of knowledge. Permission to conduct and informed consent was obtained. Data were analyzed using various statistical tools. The majority of the respondents had good knowledge about fake news. They agree with all the statements regarding how they distinguish fact from fake and their main source of knowledge of fake news is social media. The relationship between their general average to their knowledge and how they distinguish fact from fake was significant. Therefore, an information dissemination campaign against fake news should be done to inform those vulnerable groups especially the young people on how to easily identify the fact from the fake.