Communication scholars at the University of Utah tracked the web-surfing activity of more than 1,000 US adults for four weeks. They combined survey responses with actual web-browsing and YouTube-viewing data; participants landed on about nine million URLs, including 500,000 YouTube videos.
The team coded sites for health content. Of the 1,055 domains given a health tag, 78 (6.8%) were classified as low-credibility. Only 13% of participants visited even one such site during the four-week period, and those visits made up just 3% of all health-related browsing. Exposure was highly concentrated: the top 10% of participants accounted for more than three-quarters of all visits to these sites.
Traffic to low-credibility health sites was concentrated among older adults, especially those who lean right politically. Lead author Ben Lyons said this points to a vulnerable group, while also noting that overall levels are fairly low. The analysis found no clear referral links from Google, Facebook or partisan outlets; instead users often moved between low-credibility sites. The study appears in Nature Aging.
Difficult words
- scholar — person who studies or researches a subjectscholars
- track — follow and record actions or movementstracked
- domain — main website name or internet areadomains
- health tag — label showing content about health
- low-credibility — information people should not trust
- participant — person who takes part in a studyparticipants
- exposure — being in contact with something or seeing it
- concentrate — kept in a small number or areaconcentrated
- referral link — web address that sends users to another sitereferral links
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think only 13% of participants visited a low-credibility health site?
- What steps could families or community members take to help older adults avoid low-credibility health information online?
- Do you think combining survey answers with real web-browsing data gives better research results? Why or why not?
Related articles
Milk glands in many mammals have receptors for H5N1
A study found that milk gland tissue from pigs, sheep, goats, beef cattle, alpacas and humans contains sialic acid receptors that can let H5N1 attach to cells. Researchers warn of surveillance and concerns about raw milk from mammals.
Which childhood food allergies are outgrown?
Many children outgrow milk and egg allergies, while peanut, tree nut, sesame and shellfish allergies often persist. Factors such as IgE levels, allergy severity and genetics affect whether a child becomes tolerant and which treatments help.
