Analytic adolescents prevail over fake news – A large-scale preregistered study

Despite being soon-to-be voters, adolescents globally exhibit a declining interest in news consumption and hardships in recognizing fake information. Our study examined potential protective and vulnerability factors related to the detection of fake news. A diverse Hungarian sample (N = 1582) from 25 high schools participated in our research. Our findings indicate that higher levels of analytic thinking and need for cognition, lower bullshit receptivity, ethnic majority status, and higher parental education are associated with lower susceptibility to fake news among adolescents - with cognitive reflection and bullshit receptivity exerting a more substantial influence on the acceptance of fake news compared to socioeconomic variables. Our study underscores the crucial role of cognitive factors in shaping adolescents' perceptions of fake information, even outweighing socioeconomic and ethnic minority status.