Social Media Harms Democracy by Spreading Rumors, Survey Shows

Some 55% of people worldwide, a rising proportion, think social media is hurting democracy, as worry grows about manipulation, division and the rapid proliferation of rumors and misinformation, a new survey from Pew Research Center finds.

The survey, published Thursday, showed that more people in many nations say their perceptions of social media's effects on democracy are worse than they were in previous surveys. Pew Research asked over 42,000 people in 36 nations in February to May 2026, as well as additional surveys of U.S. adults.

The United States continues to have one of the worst evaluations. Approximately 64% of U.S. adults said social media is a negative for democracy, statistically unchanged from 2022. Among countries tracked by Pew, the Netherlands is the highest, with 70% of U.S. adults reporting that social media is bad for democracy, up from 54% four years ago.

There were also higher rates of negative ratings for Twitter in countries such as France, Germany, Britain and Canada. "In 16 of 26 countries where we had comparable data from previous years, the percentage of people who said social media was bad for democracy grew quite a bit," Pew reported.

The issues extend beyond partisan fissures. Respondents cited social platforms' capacity to control the political narrative, disseminate false information and deepen social and political polarization. Reuters reported that the findings come at a time when governments are starting to toughen oversight of major platforms and think about measures to safeguard users and curb unhealthy content online.

The survey also revealed a more nuanced picture of public attitudes. In more than half of the countries surveyed, a majority of people said social media contributed to an informed citizenry and served as a venue for citizen engagement. This is, in part, how social media platforms have come to occupy a complex role in modern public life.

The difference also emerged between richer and poorer nations. Respondents from many countries, such as the United States, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Australia, were more likely to consider social media as damaging to democracy and people from other countries, including India, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Pakistan, showed lower negativity.

The survey arrives as governments and technology firms are under increasing pressure to combat misinformation, algorithmic recommendations and online manipulation while avoiding constraining free speech.

The findings also indicate a growing global apprehension over social media, even as it continues to serve as the dominant channel for current information, politics and civic engagement around the globe.