Background Older versus younger adults are at greater risk from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but descriptive data show they are less likely to seek out related information in the media, although underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Method A representative adult life-span sample (N = 500) completed a preregistered online study assessing changes in media consumption in response to the pandemic, self-reported and behavioral media avoidance, avoidance motives, and demographic, socioemotional, and cognitive covariates. Results Age was associated with reduced media consumption and higher behavioral media avoidance, but lower self-reported media avoidance and lower endorsement of specific avoidance motives. Age differences in aspects of affect, motivation, and cognition statistically accounted for variations in behavioral avoidance but not for the other age effects. Discussion Age differences in media use in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic are not explained by deliberate avoidance intentions and motives but associated with broader age variations in socioemotional and cognitive functioning.

中文翻译：

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与 COVID-19 相关的媒体消费和回避的年龄差异

背景 与年轻人相比，老年人患 2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 的风险更大，但描述性数据显示，他们不太可能在媒体上寻找相关信息，尽管潜在机制仍不清楚。方法 一个有代表性的成人寿命样本 (N = 500) 完成了一项预先注册的在线研究，评估媒体消费在应对大流行、自我报告和行为媒体回避、回避动机以及人口、社会情感和认知协变量方面的变化。结果 年龄与媒体消费减少和媒体回避行为增加有关，但自我报告的媒体回避率较低，对特定回避动机的认可度较低。情感、动机等方面的年龄差异 和认知统计解释了行为回避的变化，但不解释其他年龄影响。讨论 COVID-19 大流行背景下媒体使用的年龄差异不是由故意回避的意图和动机来解释的，而是与社会情感和认知功能的更广泛的年龄差异有关。