Almost half of citizens aged 60 and over in North Macedonia say they are not fully confident that they can recognise disinformation, a noticeably higher share than in the population overall. At the same time, older respondents rely much more heavily on television, use online news sources less frequently, and have lower awareness and use of specialised fact-checking and verification resources than younger age groups.

These are among the findings of a secondary analysis of age-disaggregated data from Metamorphosis Foundation’s 2025 public opinion survey on effect of disinformation and foreign influences on democratic processes in North Macedonia. The original survey was conducted by INDAGO in October 2025 on a nationally representative sample of 1,100 adults. The 60+ subsample consisted of 312 respondents, or 28.4 percent of the total sample.

The comparisons presented here are descriptive. Unless explicitly established by the original survey analysis, differences between age groups should not be interpreted as statistically significant. They also should not be used to portray older citizens as a homogeneous group or as inherently more susceptible to manipulation.

Almost half are not fully confident they can recognise disinformation

One of the clearest age differences appears in respondents’ assessment of their own ability to identify disinformation. Among citizens aged 60 and over, 47.1 percent say they are either not entirely confident or not confident at all that they can recognise disinformation, compared with 37.7 percent nationally.

Conversely, 50.6 percent of older respondents say they are very or somewhat confident in their ability to recognise disinformation, compared with 59.4 percent for the population as a whole. Only 12.8 percent of respondents aged 60+ describe themselves as very confident, the lowest share among the age groups included in the survey.

These responses measure self-perceived confidence rather than objectively testing whether respondents can distinguish accurate from inaccurate information. Nevertheless, the difference is relevant because the age-disaggregated data also show that older respondents have lower awareness and use of specialised fact-checking and verification resources than younger age groups. The findings do not establish that one causes the other, but together they point to a gap between the need for verification and the extent to which professional verification services reach this audience.

Television remains the dominant information source

The information habits of citizens aged 60+ differ considerably from those of younger respondents. Domestic television is used as a source of information by 97.4 percent of respondents aged 60+, compared with 89.3 percent nationally. Personal contacts are also important: 84.6 percent of older respondents say they obtain information through relatives, friends, colleagues or other people they know, almost identical to the national result of 85.0 percent.

Older citizens are not simply an “offline” population. Half of respondents aged 60+ — 50.3 percent — also use social media as a source of information. However, this is substantially below the national result of 79.6 percent. Domestic online news portals are used by 39.4 percent of older respondents, compared with 66.5 percent nationally, while regional online portals are used by 30.8 percent, compared with 54.1 percent nationally.

The figures point to a hybrid information environment in which television, social platforms and personal conversations can interact. Information encountered on television can be discussed within personal networks or recirculated through social media, while online narratives can also enter television and interpersonal communication.

Higher trust in traditional and regional broadcasting

Trust patterns reinforce the importance of traditional media for older audiences. Among respondents who use the respective medium, 55.3 percent of those aged 60+ trust domestic television, compared with 48.0 percent nationally.

The difference is larger for regional television. Among older respondents who use it, 58.3 percent say they trust regional television, compared with 45.2 percent nationally. Trust in radio is also higher among the 60+ group, at 61.8 percent compared with 52.2 percent nationally, while 42.9 percent trust printed media compared with 34.3 percent overall.

These results do not show that television or regional broadcasting is itself a source of disinformation. They do show that broadcast media remain particularly important when examining how information, including misleading or manipulative narratives, can reach older audiences.

Exposure and trust are not the same. Although half of older respondents obtain information from social media, only 21.7 percent of social-media users aged 60+ say they trust it, compared with 25.9 percent nationally.

Verification resources have lower reach among older citizens

The age-disaggregated analysis indicates that specialised fact-checking and verification resources have lower reach among older citizens than among younger age groups. This finding is particularly relevant when viewed together with the larger share of older respondents who say they are not fully confident in recognising disinformation.

The combination suggests that people who themselves identify uncertainty about questionable information do not necessarily encounter professional verification through the channels they use most frequently. For fact-checking and media-literacy initiatives, this means that publishing verification on specialised websites or social networks cannot be the only approach.

Verified information also needs to reach citizens through television and radio, printed formats, local organisations and direct interpersonal communication — channels that already form part of many older citizens’ everyday information environment.

Some false and conspiracy claims find somewhat greater acceptance

The age-disaggregated results also show somewhat greater acceptance of several conspiracy or disinformation narratives among respondents aged 60+, although the differences should not be overstated.

The clearest difference concerns the false claim that aircraft trails show that people are being sprayed with poisonous substances. This is believed by 42.0 percent of respondents aged 60+, compared with 36.4 percent nationally — a difference of 5.6 percentage points.

The claim that climate change is fabricated in order to control the economy is accepted by 32.7 percent of respondents aged 60+, compared with 30.7 percent nationally. A known disinformation narrative claiming the existence of US biological-weapons laboratories in Ukraine is also somewhat more widely accepted among older respondents: 42.3 percent compared with 39.5 percent nationally.

At the same time, the survey provides an important warning against treating conspiracy beliefs as a problem specific to older citizens. Some of the most widespread conspiracy claims show almost no age difference. The belief that a secret group controls global events is recorded among 65.1 percent of respondents aged 60+, compared with 64.6 percent nationally. Similarly, 67.3 percent of older respondents believe that COVID-19 was intentionally created, compared with 66.8 percent nationally.

This indicates that several conspiracy narratives are broad societal problems rather than characteristics of a particular age group. The age-specific finding is more nuanced: older respondents show moderately higher acceptance of some false or unsupported claims, while for others the difference is negligible.

Older respondents still see disinformation as a serious problem

The findings do not indicate indifference toward disinformation. A clear majority — 61.5 percent of respondents aged 60+ — consider disinformation a serious problem, although the national figure is somewhat higher, at 65.2 percent.

Similarly, 69.9 percent of older respondents think the government should take measures against disinformation, compared with 74.0 percent nationally. Support for legal sanctions is essentially at the national level: 67.9 percent of respondents aged 60+ agree that disinformation should be legally sanctioned, compared with 67.2 percent nationally.

Older respondents also assign considerable responsibility to professional media. Among citizens aged 60+, 57.7 percent say media and journalists should have a leading role in addressing disinformation, while 59.0 percent select institutions responsible for media policy.

Differences also appear around geopolitical and EU-related narratives

Age differences are also visible in attitudes toward several geopolitical and EU-related narratives, although these results require careful interpretation.

Among respondents aged 60+, 31.4 percent agree with the claim that the EU will soon collapse, compared with 25.0 percent nationally. Some 44.9 percent agree that EU membership would mean a loss of sovereignty or identity, compared with 39.9 percent nationally, while 38.5 percent believe that better alternatives exist to EU membership, compared with 32.5 percent overall.

At the same time, 34.0 percent of older respondents identify Serbian diplomacy or institutions as possible disseminators of disinformation, compared with 41.5 percent nationally, while 35.6 percent identify Russian diplomacy or institutions, compared with 41.9 percent nationally. Respondents aged 60+ are also more likely than other age groups to identify Serbia as North Macedonia’s greatest friend, at 47.1 percent.

These findings do not demonstrate that political attitudes among older citizens are caused by disinformation. Nor should criticism of the EU, dissatisfaction with the accession process or positive attitudes toward another country be treated as disinformation in themselves. Rather, the results identify areas where information sources, trust and political attitudes warrant closer examination.

Different information habits require different ways of reaching citizens

Taken together, the findings show that age matters primarily because different generations inhabit partly different information environments. For citizens aged 60+, television remains almost universal, personal contacts remain central, and social media are important but less dominant than among younger citizens. At the same time, awareness and use of specialised verification resources are lower, while almost half of older respondents express uncertainty about their own ability to recognise disinformation.

This points toward the need for media and information literacy approaches that do not rely exclusively on websites or social-media campaigns. Television and radio, printed materials, community organisations and direct interpersonal learning can complement online fact-checking and make verified information more accessible.

Such approaches should also avoid treating people over 60 as a homogeneous or inherently vulnerable population. The survey identifies differences in information habits, confidence and access to verification resources; it does not show that age itself makes citizens susceptible to manipulation. Strengthening citizens’ ability to assess information independently is ultimately a question of access, skills and democratic participation across generations.

Source and methodology

Primary source: Metamorphosis Foundation, The Effect of Disinformation and Foreign Influences on Democratic Processes in North Macedonia in 2025. Public opinion survey conducted by INDAGO in October 2025 on a nationally representative sample of 1,100 adults. This article uses a secondary analysis of age-disaggregated cross-tabulations; the 60+ subsample contains 312 respondents.