Young adults share misinformation for social reasons, not because of ignorance

Young adults share misinformation for social reasons, not because of ignorance

The researchers examined why people aged 18 to 30 share unverified information on social media platforms. The study included nearly 1,900 young adults from Finland, Singapore, Australia, and the United States. Comparing the four countries revealed both surprising similarities and significant differences.

Across all four countries, the most obvious reason for sharing misinformation was social: young people want to stay connected with their friends, spark discussion, and express themselves. Misinformation is therefore not generally shared intentionally or maliciously: instead, sharing it feels natural when content appears useful or relevant and seems worth passing on within social networks.

Another significant finding concerned young people's sense of control. The more strongly a young person felt they could influence what information they consumed and shared, the more likely they were to share unverified content. One possible explanation is that they trusted their own judgment so much that they did not feel it necessary to verify sources.

Finland stands out positively in international comparison

"There were striking differences between the countries," says Vilma Luoma-aho, Professor of Corporate Communication at JSBE. "Finnish young adults shared misinformation the least of all four countries, whilst those in Singapore were the most active sharers, particularly from the perspective of acquiring information and maintaining social relationships. Australia and the United States fell somewhere in between."

According to the researchers, these differences can be partly explained by media education: in Finland, critical media literacy has been systematically taught from primary school onwards, whereas in many other countries such education is still in its early stages.

Ethical education is needed alongside media literacy

The study challenges the common assumption that misinformation is primarily shared by people with poor media literacy. High social media activity, measured simply by the number of hours spent on social platforms, did not in itself explain the sharing of misinformation. What mattered more was how the young people use social media and how they have grown up in relation to digital media.

"Efforts against misinformation must teach not only how to evaluate facts, but also social responsibility. Young people need to consider how their sharing behavior affects other people, not just whether a particular piece of content is true or not," Luoma-aho emphasizes.

The research was carried out as part of the Agents - Young People's Ambivalent Agency in Social Media project, funded by the Academy of Finland, and the AIdemoc - AI for Reinforcing Democracy project, funded by the Strategic Research Council (STN), which operates in association with the Academy of Finland.

Publication details:

Zhang, X. & Luoma-aho, V. (2026). Understanding behavioral and psychological predictors of social media misinformation sharing gratifications among emerging adults across four countries. Information, Communication & Society, 29(11), 3222-3252. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2595669

Vilma Luoma-aho wins the Vuoden Uno (Uno of the Year) award and JSBE receives significant funding for misinformation research from the Strategic Research Council