What Citizens Really Think About Disinformation, and What We Can Learn From Them

Disinformation is no longer a fringe problem, it’s a daily reality shaping public opinion, polarizing communities, and undermining trust in democracy. While tech companies and regulators debate top-down solutions, the TITAN project took a different approach: we asked the public. Through a series of co-creation workshops held across three European countries, we sat down with everyday citizens to understand how they navigate the online information ecosystem. The results were eye-opening.

• Citizens are already detecting disinformation using emotional tone, lack of credible sources, and sensational headlines as key signals.

• They rely on simple heuristics like cross-referencing stories or checking author credibility.

• But they also face serious barriers: time, effort, and low trust in mainstream platforms.

  
  

Check out our report which captures these insights and outlines recommendations for policymakers, educators, and platforms. From media literacy to citizen-led fact-checking, the message is clear: trust can be rebuilt from the bottom up.

Read our Co-Creation Report