Scientists have studied critical thinking abilities among different segments of society, and identified the groups most vulnerable to fake news.
The digital generation, who are supposedly comfortable with the flow of information like a fish in water, has been shown to be the most vulnerable to the influence of fake news. These surprising findings were published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.
The study included more than 66,000 people from 24 countries, most of whom were from the United States, Britain, Canada, Germany, and Australia.
Participants were asked to evaluate news headlines in an attempt to distinguish between truth and fake news. The following groups had greater difficulty making this distinction: Generation Z (born 1997–2012), women, the less educated, and the more conservative.
In contrast, some groups showed greater awareness of their weakness in recognizing misinformation.
Psychologist Friedrich Goetz of the University of British Columbia warns, "No matter who you are, what your beliefs are, or what your qualifications are, none of us are immune to fake news. We must recognize that we are all regularly exposed to misinformation and are likely to fall victim to it at some point."
He continued, "It's believed that the digital environment in which Generation Z grew up gives them immunity to misinformation. But the study's results indicate the exact opposite."
"There's still a common belief that they're better able to navigate the digital world," Goetz explained. "This belief has been disproven academically for some time, but it hasn't yet entered the public consciousness."
However, the digital generation shows remarkable objectivity in assessing their ability to recognize fake news.
Other findings were largely expected:
• Conservatives tend to trust fake news more, especially those with extremist beliefs.
• Women make slightly more mistakes, but are more accurate than men in assessing their abilities.
• Education helps detect falsehood, but those with degrees overestimate their ability to do so.