•Spanish people are very concerned about the threat fake news poses on society.

•On a scale of 1 to 7 (1 being not at all concerned and 7 being very concerned), The average response of the participants was 6.12.

•For men (x = 6.03)

•For women (x = 6.21)

•Women are significantly more concerned than men regarding the spread of fake news.

•However, the gender differences with regards to the concern about fake news dissemination is not present among the youngest and oldest age groups in the study. It was observed in the 30 to 59 age range.

•Men under 30 showed more concern than men between the age of 30 and 59.

•Among women, increasing concern about the dissemination of fake news was observed among the participants between 30–59 age range.

•The most concerned participants attach greater importance to the source of the content.

•Men’s and women’s perception of difficulty in identifying fake news is similar.

•Men are more likely to receive fake news on political issues, while a greater proportion of women are more likely to receive fake news about celebrities.