Older adults have more confidence in information from news outlets than younger adults, but older adults are also more concerned about misinformation
Across various types of election related news and coverage, public engagement and interest increase with age.
Adults ages 55 and older most closely monitor news related to elections, and adults ages 35 to 54 are more likely than 18 to 34-year-olds to follow local and state elections, presidential elections, and discussions surrounding candidates’ policies and issues with a high level of attention.
Older adults — those ages 55 and older — are more likely to have confidence in the information they get from national and local news sources than younger adults.
Older adults are more likely to be extremely or very concerned about news organizations reporting disinformation or unverified information than younger adults. The same is true about the media using generative AI. The older the age group, the more likely they are to be extremely or very concerned about these issues.
Similarly, concerns about news outlets focusing excessively on election outcomes rather than on issues or candidates, not accurately representing community views, or exhibiting bias toward one side of an issue are more prevalent among adults ages 55 and older compared with younger adults.
All age groups place the candidates’ values and policy positions as their highest priorities for election coverage. However, adults ages 55 and older are more likely than younger adults to want a lot or some coverage of candidates’ policy positions and values, legal investigations or troubles tied to candidates, or how votes are tabulated or counted.
» Next chapter: Election news and partisanship
