More than 70% of adults surveyed in 25 countries perceive the spread of online misinformation, the global economy and terrorism as major threats in 2025, a new report from the Pew Research Centre shows.
More than 70% of adults surveyed in 25 countries perceive the spread of online misinformation, the global economy and terrorism as major threats in 2025, a new report from the Pew Research Centre shows.
The countries that participated in the survey by the United States-based think tank that looks into public issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world, included those in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East-North Africa region, North America and sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya.
“Overall, a median of 72% of adults across 25 nations surveyed in spring 2025 say that the spread of false information online is a major threat to their country,” the report said. “A further 21% say it is a minor threat, while 5% say it is not a threat at all.”
The condition of the global economy (70%), terrorism (69%), global climate change (67%) and the spread of infectious diseases (60%) were also perceived as threats.
The countries most concerned with the spread of misinformation are Brazil, South Korea, France, Poland and Germany, while terrorism is seen as the biggest threat in Turkey, Israel, Kenya, Nigeria, Indonesia and France.
This is a very different picture from 2022 research, which showed that citizens in advanced economies were most concerned about climate change. Issues such as infectious diseases, Russia’s war in Ukraine and the rise global inflation took a back seat.
In the 2025 study, the countries most concerned with the spread of false information online were Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the US and South Korea.
South Africans perceived the spread of infectious diseases as the biggest threat, followed by the spread of false information online. They were only slightly interested in terrorism, climate change and the global economy.
Broadly, concerns about global economic uncertainty have intensified amid conflicts in the Middle East and Europe, new tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on imports from several countries including South Africa, as well as rising oil prices that fuel inflation and food costs.
“People in two countries — Greece and Australia — view the global economy as the top threat of those included in the survey. Meanwhile, the share of adults who see global economic conditions as a major threat has increased in 21 countries since 2017,” the survey noted.
“Concerns about the world economy are generally tied to views of national economic conditions. In 23 countries, people with a more negative view of their nation’s economy are more likely to say that the condition of the global economy is a major threat.”
Many countries, including South Africa, have seen temperatures hit a record high, while others experience wildfires, intense storms and floods. These conditions are persevering as the Earth heats up and the climate changes. But the threat of this does not appear to be perceived as extreme as other issues.
“In no survey country is climate change the single greatest perceived threat. On balance, however, concerns about climate change are higher than in 2013, both in advanced economies and middle-income countries,” the report said. “As in previous years, people on the ideological left are more concerned than those on the right about climate change.”
Scientists have warned that climate change risks triggering epidemics of emerging and re-emerging diseases around the world with “disastrous consequences”.
The survey noted that just a few years after the Covid-19 pandemic, a median of 60% adults in the countries surveyed view the spread of infectious diseases as a major threat, while 30% see it as a minor threat, and 5% say it is no threat at all.
The pandemic forced many countries into lockdown, disrupting their economies, trade and medical facilities. Although there has been some recovery, countries including Argentina, Brazil and South Africa see the spread of infectious diseases as the top threat of the five issues asked about.
“Generally, people in middle-income countries are more concerned than those in advanced economies about the spread of infectious diseases. In fact, in the nine advanced economies we have surveyed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the share of people who view disease as a major threat has dropped from 74% in 2020 to 61% in 2022 and 50% this year,” the report said.
“On the other hand, the shares of people who view global economic conditions as a major threat have increased substantially over the longer term across many high- and middle-income countries.”