Men with Passive News Habits More Susceptible to Health Misinformation, WSU Study Finds

Young men who passively consume information on social media are more likely to believe health misinformation about substance use, according to new research from Washington State University.

The study, published this month in the journal Substance Use & Misuse, surveyed 1,201 Americans aged 18-29 to evaluate whether those with “news finds me” attitudes are more susceptible to incorrect health claims, particularly around drug use.

Researchers found that young men who rely on information that simply flows through their social media feeds were more likely to believe false statements such as “It is safe to take an over-the-counter medicine to help you sleep, even if you are drunk on alcohol,” “Driving while high on THC (cannabis) is safe,” and “Using psychedelics is safe for everyone.”

“Misinformation was a big problem during Covid and I think it has become a grave public health concern overall,” said Hae Yeon Seo, the study’s lead author who conducted the research as a doctoral student at WSU’s Murrow College of Communications. “I wanted to see how passive information-seeking behavior leads to misinformation beliefs around prescription drug use and how that leads to substance use behavior.”

The gender disparity in the findings was significant. While both young men and women were surveyed, only male participants showed a strong association between passive information consumption and belief in health misinformation.

This correlation is particularly concerning because young men are already more likely than their peers to misuse substances, including prescription drugs like Adderall, alcohol, and cannabis. Previous research has established links between believing medical misinformation and engaging in risky substance use behaviors.

“Individuals who consume information passively tend to be more vulnerable to misinformation because they don’t seek out more facts about the issue they’re interested in,” Seo explained.

The study, conducted between June and August 2023, reinforces previous findings that men typically rely more on “accidental information exposure” without verifying information across multiple sources. Women, in contrast, tend to be more cautious and critical about the quality of information they encounter.

In today’s fragmented media landscape, young people are constantly bombarded with information through various social media channels of questionable credibility. Many simply absorb what appears in their feeds from friends, family, influencers, and marketers without actively seeking out trusted news sources, yet remain confident they are well-informed—embodying the “news finds me” perspective.

Seo, who grew up in South Korea before coming to the United States for her doctorate, became interested in the connection between misinformation and substance use when she first encountered America’s widespread legal cannabis use in 2020.

“It was new to me, and I thought it could be very interesting to study that,” she said, noting the prevalence of dubious claims surrounding cannabis’s medical benefits and safety.

The research team included Erica Austin, professor and founding director of the Murrow Center for Media and Health Promotion Research; Porismita Borah, a professor on the graduate faculty at the Murrow College; and Andrew Sutherland, a PhD student in the college.

The researchers acknowledged that one limitation of their study was its binary gender approach, examining attitudes only among those identifying as male or female. They suggested that future research could explore how these dynamics manifest among non-binary individuals and other demographic groups.

Given the strong association between passive information consumption and misinformation belief among young men specifically, the paper concludes that gender-targeted interventions merit consideration. Seo emphasized that effective strategies for combating misinformation should focus on developing media literacy and critical thinking skills.

As misinformation continues to proliferate online, particularly around health topics, this research highlights the importance of active information-seeking behaviors and source verification, especially among demographics at higher risk for substance misuse.