Study: Facebook groups trusted more than news outlets in towns hit by asylum hotel protests

Local Facebook groups became "town squares" in communities hit by anti-immigration protests in the summer of 2025, with group administrators acting as "de facto local information gatekeepers" rather than mainstream media or local authorities, according to a new report from the think tank Demos, as reported by The Independent [1]. The analysis examined nearly half a million social media posts about the use of hotels for asylum seekers in Dudley, Greater Manchester and Epping, Essex, posted between January 2024 and December 2025, according to [1]. Researchers found "recurring harmful narratives", including claims that asylum seekers are criminals or sexual predators, which significantly outweighed positive posts about immigration, the study found. According to the report, anti-migrant posts outnumbered pro-immigration content by as much as 42 to one in some areas, including narratives that migrants are "invading" the country, implementing "Sharia law", or staying in "luxury five-star hotels", [1] reported. The protests examined by the study followed the government's use of hotels to house asylum seekers. In Epping, which became the epicentre of unrest after Ethiopian migrant Hadush Kebatu sexually assaulted a teenage girl, demonstrations turned into violent clashes with police involving thrown bottles and flares, according to [1]. The study's authors said the scale of negative sentiment online was far more extreme than in wider public opinion. YouGov polling cited in the report found 69 per cent of Britons believe immigration over the past decade has been too high, and 43 per cent believe it has mostly been bad for the country — figures far less skewed than the 42-to-one ratio of negative to positive posts found in Epping, according to [1]. Livestream content made by so-called "auditors" has also become a "trusted source" for many in local communities, in part because it is seen as more authentic than reporting from mainstream news outlets, the study found. Researchers said scepticism toward online claims varied by location, with residents in Dudley the least likely to challenge them and those in Greater Manchester the most sceptical, according to [1]. The report attributed this reliance on social media partly to information "voids" left by local newspapers, councils and other authorities, saying these gaps had allowed "unreliable, and sometimes false narratives" to take hold, [1] reported. It noted that local councillors and officials are "self-censoring or retreating to in-person-only engagement because of abuse or backlash", and argued that resourcing them to remain visible online should be treated as essential to rebuilding community trust rather than "a separate HR issue". The study's authors called for Facebook group administrators to be given support given their "immense influence", and urged the government to fund experiments in creating "healthier online spaces" that support debate and provide access to verified information. "Online platforms aren't serving the UK's local communities," the researchers said, according to [1], warning that without such change, "local democracy will struggle". A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson responded that its Local Media Action Plan is helping local newsrooms "innovate and adapt for the online world" while incentivising "high-quality, trustworthy news", according to [1]. The spokesperson added that social media platforms have "clear responsibilities" under the Online Safety Act to remove illegal content, including material that incites violence, and to prevent the spread of illegal misinformation, [1] reported.