The Parliament published a special study conducted by Eurobarometer, which examined media habits including trust in different media sources, according to European Parliament.
68% of respondents reported receiving news about the European Union recently through the press, internet, television or radio. The results vary considerably across Member States, ranging from 49% in France to 87% in Croatia and Romania.
Moreover, the proportion of respondents who have recently read, seen or heard something about the EU increases slightly with age. Men (76%) are more likely than women (60%) to reply this way, as do more highly educated respondents.
71% of respondents still consider TV to be one of the most frequently used media to access news in the last seven days. TV is followed by online press and news platforms with 42%. Radio and social media (both 37% each) come in third place, followed by the printed press, mentioned by 21% of respondents.
Compared to the 2022 Parliamentary Survey, the overall proportion of respondents using social media to access news has increased by 11 per cent.
Smaller increases are seen when it comes to the use of messaging apps (+5 pp), video platforms (+4 pp) or podcasts (+2 pp). Growth in use of these media is observed across all age groups and in most Member States.
Over the past seven days, respondents watched local news (chosen by 50%), national politics (47%), and European and international affairs (45%).
Although the vast majority of respondents follow the news daily (70%) with 9% avoiding certain types of news. The proportion of those responding that they follow the news daily increases with age, while news avoidance is slightly higher among women, younger respondents and those with the lowest level of education.
37% of respondents follow influencers or content creators on social media, with 79% of young Europeans (aged 15-24) following influencers or content creators, compared to only 14% of people aged +55.
48% of citizens trust most public TV and radio stations as a source of news. This is followed by the print press (including its online content), which is trusted by 38% of respondents, while 29% trust private TV and radio stations.
The latest EP Media survey, conducted in April/May 2022, showed that 48% trust public TV and radio stations, including their online presence. The exceptions are two EU countries: Poland and Hungary.
Private TV and radio stations are considered the most trusted news source in Poland with 41%, while respondents in Hungary cite “people, groups or friends followed on social media” (28%) as the most trusted news source, as well as “other news platforms including blogs and podcasts” (28%).
Compared to 2022, the share of trust in traditional broadcast and print media and their online presence remained virtually unchanged. YouTube and other video platforms (+4 pp), as well as social media influencers (+4 pp) saw the biggest increase in trust.
Flash Eurobarometer presented an in-depth analysis of citizens’ media use and media habits, considering both traditional media and online media. Ipsos Europe’s public affairs arm Ipsos surveyed EU citizens aged 15 and over in each of the 27 Member States of the European Union.
Between October 18 and 24, 2023, 25,956 interviews were conducted through computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI), ensuring the study’s credibility.
