Expert Survey on the Global Information Environment 2025: Safeguarding Epistemic Security

The 2025 Expert Survey on the Global Information Environment, involving 438 researchers across 76 countries, examines the state of 'epistemic security'—the reliability of information supply chains. The report finds that while social media can increase political participation, it also drives polarization and distrust in institutions. A significant 66% of surveyed experts reported experiencing harassment, intervention, or chilling effects in their scientific work, with funding constraints and data access remaining primary barriers. Regarding AI, there is strong expert consensus (60%) that AI-generated content should be clearly labeled, and 83% believe such labeling would improve the information environment. The document advocates for treating the information environment as critical infrastructure, recommending independent algorithmic auditing and stronger protections for researchers and journalists.

• Social media platforms have a contradictory impact on the information environment, simultaneously increasing political participation and informing users on cultural, economic, and political issues, while also increasing political polarization, populist sentiment, and mental health issues, and decreasing trust in institutions.
• Researchers studying the information environment face significant professional risks and barriers; 66% of the surveyed community reported harassment, intervention, or chilling effects, and 73% reported some form of harassment, intervention, chilling effect, or self-censorship.
• The most prevalent obstacles for experts in this field are financial and data-related, with 62% citing funding constraints and 49% citing insufficient data access.
• There is a strong expert consensus on the need for transparency regarding synthetic content, with 60% stating AI-generated content should be clearly labeled and 83% believing that such labeling would improve the information environment.
• Experts advocate for systemic safeguards in the AI era, including regular independent audits of algorithms to mitigate bias and promote a diversity of perspectives.
• A healthy information environment is fundamentally characterized by the availability of accurate information and the presence of diverse voices.

APA

Altay, S., Valenzuela, S., & Howard, P. N. (2025). Expert Survey on the Global Information Environment 2025: Safeguarding Epistemic Security. International Panel on the Information Environment. https://www.ipie.info/research/sfp2025-4

Chicago

Altay, Sacha, Sebastián Valenzuela, and Philip N. Howard. Expert Survey on the Global Information Environment 2025: Safeguarding Epistemic Security. International Panel on the Information Environment, 2025. https://www.ipie.info/research/sfp2025-4.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Altay |first1=Sacha |last2=Valenzuela |first2=Sebastián |last3=Howard |first3=Philip N. |title=Expert Survey on the Global Information Environment 2025: Safeguarding Epistemic Security |publisher=International Panel on the Information Environment |date=2025 |url=https://www.ipie.info/research/sfp2025-4 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{altay2025expert, author = {Altay, Sacha and Valenzuela, Sebastián and Howard, Philip N.}, title = {{Expert Survey on the Global Information Environment 2025: Safeguarding Epistemic Security}}, institution = {International Panel on the Information Environment}, year = {2025}, url = {https://www.ipie.info/research/sfp2025-4}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }