Informational Sustainability – An Analysis Regarding the Impact of Fake News Phenomenon on Decision-Making and Consumer Behavior
Author:Emilia Gogu, Brenda-Andreea Piuaru, Mihaela Hrisanta Mosora, Bianca Tescașiu, Doina Iacob and Liviu Cosmin Mosora
JEL:D82, D83, D91, M14, Q56.
DOI:10.24818/EA/2026/73/940
Keywords:fake news, Population Attributable Fraction (PAF), decision-making and consumption behaviour, sustainability, information asymmetry, organisations.
Abstract:
In the context of accelerated digitalisation and the expansion of social media platforms, the phenomenon of disinformation has become a major challenge for the economic and organisational environment. This paper aims to develop a multidimensional framework for assessing how the fake news phenomenon alters the perception of value and trust in the market/organisations, thereby undermining the foundations of informational sustainability.
The study analyses the impact of fake news on the perception of organisations, consumer behaviour, decision-making rationality, and sustainability. Based on a sample of 1,064 respondents, selected through a non-probability sampling procedure and structured to reflect the main socio-demographic characteristics of the population under study, statistical methods such as hypothesis testing, correlations, regression and the Population Attributable Fraction (PAF) indicator are used to determine the proportion of effects attributable to exposure to fake news. The results highlight a significant and multidimensional impact of misinformation on consumer trust, consumption behaviour, decision-making rationality, and orientation toward sustainability. These findings suggest the need to strengthen institutional and organisational mechanisms for combating misinformation, as a prerequisite for developing an environment characterised by informational sustainability. The study uses data collected between 19-22 December 2025 through the CAWI method. Exposure to fake news was assessed based on respondents’ perceptions of the influence of false information on trust, consumption behaviour, decision-making rationality, and sustainability orientation.
The study primarily considered the influence of exposure to fake news on two target groups, namely organisations and consumers, but also the existence of distortions in the information flow as a result of information asymmetry and also the role of governance in regulating the phenomenon analysed, with the aim of creating a framework that generates an information sustainability system. The results are relevant for organisations, decision-makers, researchers and consumers, providing resources for public policies and organisational strategies aimed at strengthening trust through truthful information.