How Do Individual and Societal Factors Shape News Authentication? Comparing Misinformation Resilience Across Hong Kong, the Netherlands, and the United States

In an era of pervasive misinformation, equipping citizens to counter its spread is increasingly critical. This study examines news authentication—individuals’ proactive verification of news—as a key indicator of resilience to misinformation. Guided by the theory of planned behavior and the resilience model, we examine how individual characteristics and structural contexts interact to influence news authentication. To do so, we adopt a multilevel comparative approach, analyzing news authentication in three distinct societies: Hong Kong, the Netherlands, and the United States. Drawing on a preregistered, population-based survey conducted in 2022 (N = 6,082), we apply multigroup structural equation modeling to identify the influential factors. Our findings show that, at the societal level, news authentication is more prevalent in the United States and Hong Kong, where severe polarization and fragmented, low-trust media environments amplify misinformation risks. Conversely, the Netherlands exhibits lower levels of news authentication, potentially due to its relatively cohesive media environment and moderate polarization. At the individual level, political efficacy and institutional trust are consistent predictors across societies, underscoring the importance of political empowerment and trust in fostering resilience. Education significantly predicts news authentication only in the United States, where the complex information landscape necessitates higher cognitive engagement. Notably, conspiracy beliefs positively associate with news authentication in the Netherlands and the United States, reflecting a potential “dark side” of this behavior in contexts marked by growing anti-establishment sentiments. These findings highlight the interplay between individual capacities, political beliefs, and broader media and political environments in shaping resilience to misinformation.