Trust in the news is plummeting and many continue to be exposed to largely unregulated disinformation and fake news. But for the EU citizens who do read the news, traditional media are still the most trusted sources, according to an EU barometer.
At a time of declining trust in media and institutions, the EU barometer survey examined media habits, trust in media sources as well as attitudes towards the threat of disinformation. 53,347 people over 15 years old were interviewed across the EU27 in April and May.
Exposure to disinformation and fake news
Over a quarter of respondents (28%) believe that within the last week, they have been exposed to disinformation and fake news.
People in Bulgaria are the most likely to think they have been exposed to disinformation and fake news, with 55% of respondents saying they have 'very often' or 'often' been exposed, while respondents in the Netherlands are the least likely, with 3% replying 'very often' and 9% 'often.
Nonetheless, a majority of respondents are confident they can recognise disinformation and fake news: 12% feel ‘very confident' and 52% are ‘somewhat confident’.
Confidence levels in distinguishing between fake and real news diminishes with age and increases with education levels.
What people read about
National politics interest citizens the most, said 50% of respondents, while European and international affairs came at a close second (46%), almost on par with local news (47%).
While national political topics interest citizens most (selected by 50% of respondents), European and international affairs (46%) is closely behind, on a par with local news (47%).
Media habits
There is a generational divide in people's viewing habits. For 75% of respondents, TV dominates as the primary source of news, especially for citizens over 55 years-old.
Then there are online news platforms (43%), radio (39%), and social media platforms and blogs (26%). The written press comes at a distant fifth place, with only 21% of respondents who use newspapers are their primary news source.
Younger respondents are much more included to use social media platforms and blogs to access news (46% of 15-24 year-olds vs 15% of 55+ year-olds).
Although traditional sources of news, especially TV, are key, 88% of respondents got some part of the news through their smartphones or other digital devices.
43% of respondents use websites for news (e.g. website of a newspaper), and 31% read articles or posts in their social network feeds. For younger generations, reading the news through social networks is even more important (43% of 15-24 year-olds vs 24% of 55+ respondents).
However, paying for online news is rare, as 70% of respondents who read the news online would only access free news services online.
Most trusted media sources
Citizens trust traditional broadcast and print media, as well as their online counterparts, more than online news platforms and social media channels.
49% of respondents expect their public TV and radio stations to provide truthful news, followed by the written press, chosen by 39%.
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Poland is the only country where private TV and radio stations are the most trusted source of news. Moving even further away from traditional news sources, respondents in Hungary consider "people, groups or friends followed on social media” as their most trusted news source.
Trust is a key issue for respondents when asked what would make them read an article online. 54% were motivated by a headline as relevant to them, while 37% said that trust in the news outlet was crucial.
