"Attracted to Fake News"...Critical Media Literacy Declines After Age 40

Higher Media Literacy in 30s, Lower in Older Age Groups
Media Literacy Increases with Higher Education and Income Levels
Experts Say "Media Literacy Education Must Also Be Strengthened"

The so-called ‘media literacy’ ability to critically understand media was found to decline gradually after the age of 40. In particular, the higher the educational level, the higher the media literacy, and regionally, the metropolitan area showed higher levels compared to rural areas.

On the 10th, according to the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI), a research team led by Professor Ko Heung-seok of the Department of Media and Culture at Kunsan National University recently announced the results of a survey titled ‘Regional Disparities in Media Literacy Competence.’ This analysis was based on responses from 9,057 individuals aged 19 and older from last year’s Korea Media Panel survey data.

Media literacy is a compound word combining Media and Literacy, meaning the ability to understand media and analyze and evaluate the content delivered by media. It includes the capacity to critically read and decode media and to use it creatively.

The research team measured respondents’ engagement with information through five items on a 1 to 5-point scale: ‘checking whether the information is factual,’ ‘examining if valid evidence is presented,’ ‘judging whether there is a commercial intent,’ ‘judging whether there is a political intent,’ and ‘seeking additional information to understand various related perspectives.’ The average score was used for analysis.

The survey results showed that critical understanding of media was highest among people in their 30s, scoring 3.23 out of 5 points. This was followed by those in their 20s (3.21), 40s (3.10), 50s (3.00), and 60s (2.68). Professor Ko stated, “There was a statistically significant difference among these groups,” adding, “Older age groups showed lower critical understanding abilities.”

By gender, males (2.91) scored higher than females (2.74). Additionally, the higher the educational level, the higher the critical understanding ability. Graduate students or higher scored 3.47, university graduates 3.18, high school graduates 2.83, middle school graduates 2.21, and elementary school graduates 1.83.

Regarding income, higher income groups also showed higher media literacy scores. The group with a monthly personal income of 4 million KRW or more scored the highest at 3.27, while those earning between 1 million and 2 million KRW (2.13) scored lower than those earning less than 1 million KRW (2.69) or those with no income (2.73).

Regionally, Seoul scored the highest at 3.07, followed by Gyeonggi (2.94), metropolitan and special autonomous cities (2.90), and other regions (2.53). Differences by gender and age were also more pronounced outside the Seoul-Gyeonggi area.

Meanwhile, experts emphasize the need to expand media literacy education as we enter an era where anyone can broadcast news content. They argue that critical thinking should be cultivated from adolescence, and analytical skills should be developed through training to verify facts.

In fact, California in the United States has prepared a ‘Media Literacy Bill’ and plans to implement education aimed at fostering critical thinking about media for all grades from kindergarten through high school starting next year.