I Value It, but I Don’t Use It: Attitudes Toward Fact-Checking Among Portuguese University Students

Fact-checking appeared as one of the responses to disinformation, establishing itself inside the journalism profession as another of its ethos. However, its social relevance relies on public perception and engagement. Despite growing evidence of approval, low familiarity and limited active use of fact-checking news remain common patterns, particularly among younger audiences. This study examines familiarity, contact, and attitudes toward fact-checking in a convenience sample of Portuguese university students, exploring associations with news consumption habits, political interest, skepticism, and ideological orientation through an online survey, with 356 university students, across different scientific areas. Results indicate that students show favorable attitudes toward fact-checking (M = 3.70) and recognize its social value but report moderate-to-low familiarity with its practices (M = 2.85), infrequent access (M = 2.37), and minimal sharing behavior (M = 1.82). Interest in reading fact-checking content emerged as the strongest predictor of positive attitudes (β = 0.506), outperforming familiarity and access frequency. Lower skepticism was associated with more favorable attitudes and showed no significant relationship with political orientation. Those more conservative displayed slightly less favorable attitudes. Our findings suggest that the primary challenge for fact-checking is not normative acceptance, but motivational engagement since favorable dispositions do not automatically translate into active consumption or sharing within everyday routines.