Strengthening the UK’s Democratic Information Environment in an Age of Uncertainty — Full Fact
As voters in Makerfield prepare to cast their votes in a high-stakes by-election, it’s clear that many people are struggling to decipher fact from fiction, and to have confidence in the information they’re being served.
A nationally representative poll, commissioned by Full Fact and carried out by YouGov at the end of March 2026, found that -
* Only 3% of people find it very easy to tell whether a video online is genuine or AI-generated,
* 66% of people think the government is doing too little to address AI-generated misinformation and
* 48% of people say political misinformation has affected their trust in political institutions, including government and Parliament.
Increasingly, responsibility for electoral integrity, online safety, platform accountability and crisis communication is fragmented across multiple institutions with overlapping or unclear mandates. There is no clear system for resolving uncertainty during high-pressure moments, and no single institution is responsible for ensuring that reliable public interest information remains visible and trusted when it matters most.
Full Fact’s seventh annual Report, Strengthening the UK's Democratic Information Environment, argues that the UK needs to treat the information environment as critical democratic infrastructure. This means -
* Clearer institutional coordination,
* Ensuring laws and regulation are fit for purpose
* Stronger accountability for online platforms and AI systems,
* Better visibility for high-quality public interest information,
* And long-term investment in media literacy and public resilience.
It also requires recognising that the design of platforms and AI systems is not neutral. Decisions about ranking, recommendation, moderation and visibility shape public understanding at an enormous scale, and those decisions carry democratic consequences.
As Chris Morris, Chief Executive of Full Fact, says:
“The task now is to build institutions and safeguards capable of functioning in a faster, more fragmented and more automated public sphere. Other democracies facing similar pressures are beginning to move toward more coordinated approaches built around transparency, preparedness and accountability. The UK risks falling behind if it continues to respond in a piecemeal and reactive way.
The decisions taken now will shape whether future elections are defined by confusion and mistrust, or by clarity, confidence and democratic resilience. Building a better information environment is no longer an abstract ambition. It is a democratic necessity.”
Full Fact’s 2026 report includes a series of recommendations on: securing the information ecosystem, strengthening public resilience, modernising laws and institutions and increasing commercial transparency and accountability. The report also contains contributions from the filmmaker, author and advocate for online safety, Baroness Kidron, the statistician and Chairman of the Electoral Commission, John Pullinger, and Associate Director of Technology, Threats and Opportunities at Witness, Mahsa Alimardani.
The entire Full Fact 2026 Report can be read here.
If you would like to arrange an interview with a Full Fact spokesperson please contact us on 07931350523 or at press@fullfact.org.
Notes to editors:
1. About Full Fact: Full Fact is an independent UK charity. Its team of fact checkers and campaigners work to build a better information environment to restore trust: Fullfact.org
2. Full Fact scrutinises all sides in any political debate impartially, and holds everyone in public office to high standards. Last year, we published 839 fact checks and other articles including pledge pages, liveblogs and explainers. We also secured 74 corrections from newspapers, broadcasters and politicians.
3. All figures in the nationally representative poll unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,175 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 29th - 30th March 2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
4. The Nuffield Foundation is an independent charitable trust with a mission to advance social well-being. It funds and undertakes rigorous research, encourages innovation and supports the use of sound evidence to inform social and economic policy, and improve people’s lives. The Nuffield Foundation is the founder and co-funder of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, the Ada Lovelace Institute and the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. This project has been funded by the Nuffield Foundation, but the views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily the Foundation. Find out more at: www.nuffieldfoundation.org. Bluesky: @nuffieldfoundation.org, LinkedIn: Nuffield Foundation
Full Fact
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