Indians mistrust bogus news but are less concerned with press freedom.

• Pew Research Center survey shows high distrust in fake news in India, but low confidence in systemic solutions like a free press.

• 65% of respondents believe made-up news is a significant problem in India, ranking it among the top 10 nations.

• Only 68% of respondents believe it’s important for the media to report news without state censorship, the second-lowest rate among the 35 countries surveyed.

• 80% of respondents believe the media is somewhat or completely free from state intervention, ranking India among the top 10 nations.

• This dichotomy has serious implications for press freedom in India, which has been deteriorating rapidly.

• In 2024, India ranked 159 out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index, a situation that has worsened significantly in recent years.

• In 33 of the 35 nations surveyed, there is a ‘press freedom gap’, where the share of people who feel media freedom is important is greater than the share who believe it exists. In India and Kenya, this gap is reversed.