Share, verify, or ignore? Analysis of older adults’ responses to misinformation and disinformation

As digital environments increasingly shape everyday life in later adulthood, older adults are exposed to growing volumes of misinformation and disinformation. Understanding how they interpret and manage misleading content is essential for developing effective educational interventions. Less is also known about the combination of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses to misinformation and disinformation in older adults. This qualitative study explores how adults aged 65+ respond to misinformation and disinformation and identifies recurring response patterns. Sixty-three semi-structured interviews conducted across the Czech Republic were analyzed using thematic analysis. Three dominant response types were identified: emotional, cognitive, and behavioral. Emotional responses involved strong affective reactions such as anger, fear, helplessness, or humor as a coping strategy. Cognitive responses were characterized by analytical credibility assessment, including attention to authorship, language quality, logical coherence, and trusted institutional sources. Behavioral responses reflected self-regulation strategies such as deleting messages, blocking senders, limiting exposure, or verifying information through trusted social ties. In addition, three combined response patterns emerged: emotional–behavioral, behavioral–cognitive, and cognitive – emotional. Emotional–behavioral responses were most frequent, with intense affect often leading directly to sharing or commenting without prior verification. Behavioral–cognitive responses involved action preceding reflection, while cognitive – emotional responses began with analytical evaluation followed by affective reaction. The findings suggest that older adults’ responses are neither homogeneous nor purely deficit-based, but represent adaptive strategies shaped by life experience, digital confidence, and social responsibility. The results provide a basis for more targeted prevention and intervention programs for older adults.