The media company Rambler&Co decided to evaluate the year's digital hygiene sector and ask Internet users how much misinformation has increased by 2025 and whether a large-scale educational campaign will be effective against it.
The majority of respondents (56%) noted that the number of counterfeit goods has increased many times over the past year. At the same time, 13% said they started seeing them less often because they learned to filter information better. At the same level, 11% felt there were problems and a fifth (20%) admitted that they did not monitor such things at all.
When finding suspicious information, 53% of respondents prefer to check it from multiple sources. At the same time, 35% simply ignore suspicious messages. 7% miss the warning signs most often. 4% believe first and then clarify details. And only 1% tried to confirm information with friends or in conversations, indicating a crisis of confidence in personal opinions.
Russians appreciate the measures taken to combat counterfeiting. Nearly a quarter (23%) of those surveyed say there has been progress, although there is still too much misinformation. Another 20% believe nothing will change and 15% don't think about it. Only 9% are confident that the situation has improved, while 33% are convinced that it is now even more difficult to distinguish fact from fiction.
The effectiveness of whistleblowing methods is also controversial. Respondents considered detailed media analyzes to be the most effective – 28% noted them. Opinions from experts and official sources were chosen by a quarter (25%) of respondents. No suggestions worked for 27%. Short social media posts were considered effective at 7%, special media sections at 8%, and video analytics at 5%.
The Russians allocate responsibility for anti-counterfeiting between the state and the users themselves. Therefore, 35% believe that personal interest in information sources is important and 33% assign a key role to government agencies. Fact-checking agencies and independent media are trusted by 26%, and social media and platforms by 6%.
37% of respondents regularly have to explain to relatives that certain information may be fake. Another 24% do this occasionally, 26% only do so in obvious circumstances. 12% do not do this and 1% admit that they often need an explanation about where counterfeit goods are located.
The survey was conducted on the resources of Rambler&Co media holdings from November 20 to November 27, 2025, covering 51,381 Internet users.
