The survey, conducted by the Communications and Information Ministry and Jakarta-based Katadata Insight Center (KIC), found that between 64 and 79 percent of 1,670 random respondents throughout Indonesia could not recognize misinformation online, even though it had been debunked by the ministry. These respondents either simply believed the misinformation or were unsure about its validity.

Between 21 and 36 percent of respondents were able to distinguish misinformation from facts.

“The results show that the public is still not proficient at identifying false information even though people are likely getting more exposed to the internet,” KIC research director Mulya Amri said recently.

The survey polled respondents between the ages of 13 and 70 who had accessed the internet in the three months prior. It was held from Aug. 18 to Aug. 31.

KIC interviewers presented respondents with a set of questions about how they managed online information, as well as four hoaxes that went viral this year and were debunked by the ministry.

Respondents responded to these four hoaxes with scores from one to five, with higher marks indicating that respondents were more sure that the information was true. A score of three represented total uncertainty about the validity of the information.

The hoaxes included a chain message claiming that garlic could cure COVID-19 and a picture of a girl laying on a hospital bed with a caption saying that she had committed suicide because of the pressures of remote education during the pandemic. They also included a picture depicting the faces of alleged kidnappers with a message urging parents to watch out for them and a chain message claiming that radiation from infrared thermometers caused brain damage.

Some 58 percent of respondents said they were unsure whether the first example was true or false, and 59 percent, 55 percent and 67 percent of respondents said so for the second, third and fourth hoaxes, respectively.

The survey also found that 43 percent of respondents were unsure whether they had to seek confirmation of what they read or heard online.

“That behavior can cause major problems if people share false information with others and more people are exposed to hoaxes,” he said. “The public is very vulnerable to this, with our survey finding that 40 to 50 percent of respondents were undecided about whether to share hoaxes they found online.”

The findings correlate with a general improvement in the country’s internet services.

According to the survey, 68.7 percent of respondents said internet speed had improved in the last five years, while 71.2 percent said internet coverage had expanded during the same period.

Data published earlier this month by the Indonesian Internet Providers Association (APJII) showed that internet users accounted for 76 percent of Indonesia’s total population of 260 million. This was about 196 million users last year, up from 171 million users in 2018.

Indonesian Anti-Slander Society (Mafindo) committee member Anita Wahid said faster and more widespread internet access could cause people to be exposed to more false information, especially if they used social media on a daily basis and followed influencers.

She said some social media influencers might have exacerbated the spread of misinformation because their followers did want to challenge the claims of the figures they admired.

"I think the government should provide influencers with guidelines on how to verify information before sharing it with their followers. For now, this will be effective to prevent hoaxes from spreading online,” said Anita, who is also the research team head at the National Movement for Digital Literacy.

“We also hope that these influencers can urge their followers to be more active in verifying information, especially since followers always tend to listen to what these influencers have said.”

Communications and Information Ministry director general for informatics applications Samuel Abrijani Pangerapan said the survey’s findings would help the government develop better strategies to encourage the public to seek and share valid information online.