2024 Expert Survey Results Synthesis Report 2024.2

The 2024 IPIE expert survey of 412 researchers across 66 countries identifies the availability of accurate information and diversity of voices as essential for a healthy information environment. Social media platform owners and politicians are viewed as the primary threats. While generative AI is seen as a risk—particularly regarding AI-generated videos—there is moderate hope for its use in content detection and journalistic support. Experts generally predict the information environment will worsen in 2025, emphasizing the need for more research outside the USA and Western democracies.

• Experts identify the availability of accurate information as the most critical element of a healthy information environment, with 65% labeling it as absolutely essential. Diversity of voices (42%) and diversity of media ownership (33%) were the next most important factors.
• The most significant threats to the information environment are powerful actors, specifically social media platform owners (64%), local governments, politicians, or parties (56%), and foreign governments, politicians, or parties (50%).
• Social networking platforms like Facebook and Instagram are perceived as the most threatening platforms, with 57% of experts viewing them as at least a big threat. In contrast, professional networking sites and wikis are seen as small threats.
• Generative AI is viewed predominantly as a negative influence, with AI-generated videos causing the most concern; 60% of experts predict they will worsen the information environment in the next five years. Experts are most concerned (63%) about AI's potential to amplify harassment, perpetuate biases, and increase the persuasiveness of misinformation.
• Despite concerns, 67% of experts are at least moderately hopeful that generative AI will improve content detection, assist journalists, enhance cross-cultural communication, and personalize reliable information.
• Experts favor system-level interventions to improve the information environment, most notably supporting free and independent media (77% in favor or strongly in favor) and adopting digital and media literacy training (67% in favor or strongly in favor).
• There is a pessimistic outlook for the near future, with 63% of experts confident that the information environment in their country of expertise will worsen in 2025, an increase from 54% in the 2023 survey.
• The research community identifies the most essential future direction for the field as collecting more data outside the USA and Western democracies, a priority cited by 50% of experts.

APA

Altay, S., Valenzuela, S., & Howard, P. (2024). 2024 Expert Survey Results Synthesis Report 2024.2. International Panel on the Information Environment. https://www.ipie.info/research/sr2024-2

Chicago

Altay, Sacha, Sebastián Valenzuela, and Philip Howard. 2024 Expert Survey Results Synthesis Report 2024.2. International Panel on the Information Environment, 2024. https://www.ipie.info/research/sr2024-2.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Altay |first1=Sacha |last2=Valenzuela |first2=Sebastián |last3=Howard |first3=Philip |title=2024 Expert Survey Results Synthesis Report 2024.2 |publisher=International Panel on the Information Environment |date=2024 |url=https://www.ipie.info/research/sr2024-2 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{altay20242024, author = {Altay, Sacha and Valenzuela, Sebastián and Howard, Philip}, title = {{2024 Expert Survey Results Synthesis Report 2024.2}}, institution = {International Panel on the Information Environment}, year = {2024}, url = {https://www.ipie.info/research/sr2024-2}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }