Digital divide in information verification among young seniors: An analysis of literacies and sociodemographic factors

In the post-truth era, characterized by rampant misinformation, seniors are particularly susceptible to its ramifications. This study endeavored to identify how sociodemographic factors and five literacy dimensions were associated with intentional information verification among young seniors and bridge the digital divide in verification. Based on the empirical data collected from 405 young seniors aged 55–74 in Hong Kong, the findings indicated that education was associated with both literacy levels and verification behaviors. Different literacy dimensions showed distinct associations with information verification: media literacy and digital literacy emerged as core correlates of both interpersonal and institutional verification, while information literacy showed an additional association with institutional verification. This research enriches the conceptual comprehension of the connection between literacy and information verification and provides feasible insights for developing targeted interventions to narrow the digital divide in seniors’ verification engagement and mitigate the effects of misinformation.