The study said that older people share more fake news, regardless of their sex, race, income, education or how often they use social media. It said that age determined their behaviour better than any other factor.

This study could lead to users and platforms helping people from being misled.

The study examined the users' behaviour in the months before and after the 2016 presidential elections in the US. In 2016, academics started working with a research firm to gather a panel of 3,500 people that included both Facebook users and non-users.