Misinformation Nation. NewsWire

NewsWire: 10/28/21

• Nearly all Americans (95%) think misinformation is a problem. But adults under 30 are more concerned than older people that they have spread misinformation themselves. (Associated Press)
• NH: According to a new poll, nearly all Americans (95%) think that misinformation is a problem when it comes to “getting information about current events and important issues.” Most blame social media users (77%) and social media companies (73%) for its spread, but not far behind are U.S. politicians (72%). A majority also point to foreign governments, namely Russia’s (54%) and China’s (53%).
• Nearly two-thirds of Americans are at least somewhat concerned that their friends or family have spread misinformation. But a notably smaller share (46%) is concerned that they personally have spread misinformation.
• Young adults tend to be more concerned about this possibility. A quarter of 18- to 29-year-olds are “very” or “extremely” worried that they have spread misinformation, compared to just 14% of adults ages 60 and older. Fully 63% of older adults are not concerned they’ve shared falsehoods, compared with roughly half of other Americans.
• Why the gap? It could simply be a difference in volume of information: Young adults are the most likely to get their news online. But I think there’s more going on here. Compared to older generations, Millennials have much less certainty about their ability to identify trusted sources of information. They’ve come of age in an era of low institutional trust, when everyone from social media companies to major news organizations to the government have been accused of spreading falsehoods. They’ve never had a single source that everybody turns to for the news.
• At the same time, Millennials also have a stronger desire to know what’s true in the first place. Many Boomers and Xers have adopted the postmodern mindset where the measure of truth is how much something feels true. (See “Are Americans Losing Their Minds?”) But Millennials care more if something is actually true, in part perhaps because shared truth is what allows people to function and work together in a diverse society.
• Older adults should be the most worried about spreading misinformation. Previous studies have found that those who are 65+ are considerably more likely than those under 30 to share fake news on Facebook and are worse at sorting factual news statements from opinions. (Example statements: "Spending on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid makes up the largest portion of the federal budget" vs. "Democracy is the greatest form of government.") But that is what’s going to happen when you have a different view of facts and opinions altogether: Information is only valid to the extent that "it works for me."