Generating Disinformation for Which Reasons? Political, Economic, and Social Consequences in the New Public Sphere

Disinformation and polarization are interconnected phenomena that feed into each other. On one hand, one of the most serious social effects of disinformation is that it becomes a catalyst for political and affective polarization among citizens. On the other hand, public sphere actors positioned at more extreme viewpoints resort to polarizing content because it is divisive and helps them attract citizens. These trends are further amplified by social media, which create echo chambers that give visibility to the most polarizing discourses. While political actors and the academic sphere have been analyzing the causes and political consequences of disinformation for years, it remains to be seen whether ordinary citizens perceive this phenomenon in the same way. To address this question, a survey was conducted among a representative sample of the population aged 15 and over residing in Andalusia (the most populous region of Spain, with 8.6 million inhabitants). The sample size was 1,550 people, of which 1,200 responses were collected online and 300 via telephone from those aged 60 and over, to avoid selection bias due to the digital divide among older populations. The margin of error was 2.5% with a confidence level of 95.5%. The population was asked about the main reasons for spreading disinformation, with the option to select up to three from the five offered: political motives (chosen by 86.2%), economic benefit (57.7%), to create social tension (40.4%), to gain notoriety and fame on social networks (34%), and for fun (2.6%). While results show there is broad consensus in public opinion that political and economic motives are the main reasons, a contingency table analysis with significance tests shows interesting differences based on age, educational level, interest in politics, voting behaviour, perceived social division, ideology, trust in the media, and trust in social networks.