Study Reveals Gen Z and Millennials More Susceptible to Misinformation

In a surprising twist to conventional wisdom about misinformation, new research suggests that older adults are better at identifying AI-generated fake news than their younger counterparts, despite being more likely to share such content on social media platforms.

Dr. Hudson Golino, whose research was published in the journal Behavior Research Methods in June 2023, found that while older adults may be more prone to sharing misinformation, particularly on Facebook, they demonstrate superior ability in distinguishing between artificial intelligence-generated fake news and authentic news headlines.

“But in terms of believing or the capacity to differentiate fake news generated by AI and real news headlines, older adults are better than younger adults,” Golino explained.

The key factor behind this generational discrepancy appears to be what psychologists call “crystallized intelligence” – a type of cognitive ability that accumulates over one’s lifetime through experience and knowledge. Unlike other cognitive functions that decline with age, crystallized intelligence continues to develop throughout adulthood.

“Memory, the velocity of processing of information, our capacity to solve abstract problems, they all peak at around 24 years of age, and then they decline with age, especially after 50 and 60,” Golino noted. “Crystallized intelligence only grows.”

This finding was confirmed in broader testing by international research group YouGov, which employed the Misinformation Susceptibility Test (MIST) in U.S. polling. Their results revealed that approximately two-thirds of Americans can successfully distinguish between fake and authentic headlines.

The age-related difference was striking: among 18- to 29-year-olds, only 11% achieved high scores (correctly identifying more than 16 headlines), while 36% received low scores (10 or fewer correct identifications). In contrast, 36% of adults aged 65 and older earned high scores, with merely 9% receiving low scores.

Media consumption patterns appear to play a crucial role in this discrepancy. Younger generations predominantly obtain news from unregulated social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube, where content often lacks rigorous fact-checking mechanisms. Conversely, older adults typically rely on traditional news outlets, which employ established journalistic practices including verification of information through multiple sources.

This growing divide in news consumption habits raises significant concerns about information literacy across generations. As AI-generated content becomes increasingly sophisticated and prevalent, the ability to discern factual reporting from fabrication becomes an essential skill for informed citizenship.

The research comes at a critical time when misinformation and disinformation campaigns continue to proliferate across digital platforms. Social media companies face mounting pressure to implement more effective content moderation systems, while educators and media literacy advocates call for enhanced training programs targeting younger demographics.

The findings challenge the often-held assumption that digital natives, having grown up with technology, are inherently better equipped to navigate the information landscape. Instead, the data suggests that life experience and accumulated knowledge provide valuable tools for critical evaluation of news content.

Media experts suggest that incorporating elements of traditional journalism’s verification practices into digital literacy education could help younger people develop stronger fake news detection skills. Similarly, helping older adults understand the mechanics of social media sharing could reduce the spread of misinformation despite their better ability to identify it.

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, the race between detection capabilities and increasingly sophisticated fake content generation presents ongoing challenges. Golino’s research highlights the importance of cross-generational approaches to combating misinformation, where both age groups could benefit from the other’s strengths.

The study ultimately demonstrates that in the fight against misinformation, cognitive tools developed through years of experience may prove just as valuable as technological savvy – suggesting that wisdom, in its traditional sense, remains relevant even in our rapidly evolving digital information ecosystem.