Older people, conservatives more likely to share fake news

Facebook users aged 65 plus and conservatives are more likely to share fake news on the platform than younger or more liberal counterparts, according to a new study published Wednesday. Researchers from Princeton University and New York University analysed the Facebook posts of nearly 1,200 people who agreed to share their data in the aftermath of the 2016 US presidential election.

They then compared links the respondents had shared on Facebook with several lists -- including one compiled by BuzzFeed -- of websites known to share false information. The study, published in Science Advances, found less than only 8.5 per cent of respondents shared a link from one of these websites. However, those that did tended to be older and self-identified as being on the conservative end of the political spectrum.

In fact, users over 65 -- regardless of political affiliations -- shared “nearly seven times as many articles from fake news domains” as 18 to 29-year-olds, the youngest age group studied. “No other demographic characteristic seems to have a consistent effect on sharing fake news,” the authors reported. The authors also suggested the impact of aging on memory could have an effect.

Although the study found that Republicans shared more fake news than Democrats, and ideologically, conservatives shared the most fake news stories -- this could be due to the fact that most fake news articles produced during the 2016 presidential campaign favored US President Donald Trump.