Eurobarometer: 22% of Hungarians Trust Public Media

Unlike Hungarians, citizens of most other EU countries consider public TV channels and radio stations to be the most credible source of news. Their main source of information is television, while in Hungary, it is social media besides TV and radio, according to a Eurobarometer survey of Europeans' media consumption habits published on Tuesday.

According to the survey, television is the primary source of news for Europeans (75 %), especially among those aged 55 and over. TV is followed by online news platforms (43 %), radio (39 %) and social media platforms and blogs (26 %).

The print media came in fifth place, with only one in five respondents (21%) citing newspapers and magazines as their primary source of news. Younger age groups are the most likely to follow the news via social media or blogs, with 46 % of 15-24-year-olds compared to 15% of those aged 55+. Almost as many people in Hungary get their information from television (58%) as from online news portals (57%), but significantly more people (43%) use social media as a source of news than the EU average.

European respondents have more trust in traditional media channels and the print press and their online versions than in online news portals and social media. Whether it is the traditional or online version, 49% of respondents expect credible information from public TV and radio – this proportion in Hungary is only 22%. In the EU, print media are chosen by 39 %. On the other hand, 27% of respondents consider commercial TV and radio as a reliable source of news.

Poland is the only member state where people trust commercial TV and radio more than any other news source. In Hungary, a quarter of respondents said that the most trusted source of news was people, groups or friends they follow on social media, followed by public service media and online news sites (22-22%), then the written press (21%).