Older people are more likely to be exposed to online health misinformation

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-02-04 21:00

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Older people are more likely to engage with health misinformation, according to international researchers who say this is across the web, not just on social media. The team looked at data from over 1,000 US adults, and found overall exposure to poor quality health content is limited, but increases with age, concentrated among those over 60. While older adults watch YouTube less than the young, a higher proportion of what they view was considered to be from low-credibility sources. In particular, those with worse discernment, and a more conspiratorial worldview, saw more low-credibility YouTube content, as did more conservative respondents. Low-credibility website exposure was also found to be greatest among conservatives and those who consume more right-leaning news. People who consume low-credibility political news were also more likely to encounter low-credibility health content. The team adds that those who saw more of this content weren’t necessarily looking specifically for it, but a broad preference for clickbait among these participants might help explain the findings.