One in three UK adults report seeing political deepfakes in the month before local elections

• 16.5 million UK adults encountered deepfakes online in the past month
• Demos calls for action to safeguard democracy

Political deepfakes and AI-generated misinformation pose a serious risk to democracy, the cross party think tank Demos today warns, as new evidence reveals that one in three UK adults report having seen fake political content ahead of the local elections.

The polling, conducted between 30th April and 6th May 2026 – immediately before local and devolved elections across the UK – found that 30% of adults said they had seen a deepfake or AI-generated video, audio clip or image about an election candidate or politician online in that period.

16% said they had encountered political deepfakes more than five times during that period, suggesting that a significant minority of users are being exposed to this content at very high levels.

The findings come as the Electoral Commission launches a new deepfake detection pilot intended to improve identification and map the scale of the problem. However, findings from the pilot are not expected for at least six months.

Democracy in a post-truth online environment 

Demos warns that vulnerabilities in the UK’s information environment mean that manipulated political content is increasingly difficult for voters to avoid, and harder to identify.

The research also found that 39% of respondents were unsure whether they had seen a deepfake at all, evidencing a concerning lack of public confidence in discerning the truth in visual content they see online related to elections. 

To this point, more of the public said they were not confident they could identify a deepfake online (43%) than said they were confident (38%).

The polling also found significant public concern about the impact of AI misinformation on democracy as 42% said they were worried about fake videos or deepfakes of candidates and MPs impacting the May 7th local and devolved elections, while just 23% said they were not worried.

Demos has previously proposed amendments to the Representation of the People Bill to address AI-generated election misinformation, including clearer legal responsibilities for platforms and developers – proposals which were not taken up by the government. 

Labour and Reform leaders were most often reported “deepfaked” 

The most commonly identified subjects of political deepfakes were Donald Trump (45% had seen a corresponding deepfake), Keir Starmer (36%) and Nigel Farage (27%). Meanwhile, a smaller minority reported seeing deepfakes of Zack Polanski (10%) and Kemi Badenoch (8%).

Polling suggested much of the content was overtly damaging to the profiles of those represented.  Among respondents who had seen political deepfakes, 6 in 10 (56%) said the content portrayed the subject negatively, including 28% who described the content as “very negative”.

Respondents were also most likely to identify Russia (24%), the USA (23%) and China (19%) as likely sources of election-related deepfakes and false statements online.

TikTok (35%), Facebook (34%) and Instagram (26%) were identified as the platforms where respondents most commonly encountered deepfake political content, with clear generational differences across platforms.

Azzurra Moores, Associate Director of Information Ecosystems at Demos, said:

“Political deepfakes are no longer a future threat, they are already flooding people’s social media feeds.

“Our polling shows millions of people say they are now encountering AI-generated political content online, often repeatedly and usually in a negative context. At the same time, many voters are unsure how to discern the truth from the content they are seeing.

“That combination of widespread exposure and low public confidence in spotting deepfakes creates serious risks for trust in democratic debate, setting the stage for a democratic emergency in the UK. 

“As it stands, generative AI is evolving faster than our democratic protections. The UK cannot afford to drift into the next general election without stronger safeguards in place.

“The Electoral Commission’s pilot is an important step, but responsibility for tackling deepfakes continues to bounce between regulators, platforms and AI developers. The government needs to move faster to establish clear rules and accountability.

“In the face of such rapidly developing technology, legislation can feel sluggish. That’s why the government must use the Representation of the People Bill – which is already underway – to introduce meaningful protections for the public before the next general election.

“The evidence of harm is mounting and the opportunity to act is narrowing. The government has a clear chance now to protect both the public and our democracy before this threat becomes a full-blown crisis. It must not be wasted.” 

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Notes to editors

• Polling conducted by Opinium on behalf of Demos.
• Fieldwork conducted 30th April – 6th May 2026.
• Nationally representative sample of 2,005 UK adults aged 18+.
• Full polling tables available on request.