Ukrainians are losing trust in any source of information – survey
12 November 2024 15:31
The annual USAID/Internews Media Consumption Survey shows that Ukrainians are becoming less and less trusting of any source of information, especially official ones. For the first time since the full-scale Russian invasion, the level of trust in the media has dropped below 50% to 47%, reports "Komersant Ukrainian".
Decline in trust in official sources
Despite the fact that awareness of the United News telethon has increased to 86%, the level of trust in it among Ukrainians has dropped significantly. Now only 37% of respondents watch the telethon and the same 37% partially or fully trust it.
Only 32% of Ukrainians believe that the telethon should continue to exist. The respondents noted that it is too controlled and one-sided, which raises doubts about its effectiveness and the appropriateness of public funding. Military personnel who watch the telethon noted that it does not reflect their views or experiences, which also weakens the credibility of this source of information.
Other official sources have also lost credibility. For example, the level of trust in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine dropped from 80% to 63%, and in the Office of the President – from 69% to 44%. The crisis of trust has also affected the government and local authorities, whose trust has fallen to 41%.
However, there are exceptions: radio and print media have gained more trust. In particular, the popularity of Ukrainian Radio, which celebrates its centenary this year, has increased significantly – 39% of respondents listen to it, compared to 21% last year.
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Attitudes towards Telegram: Convenience or threat?
Telegram continues to hold the lead among news consumption platforms: 73% of Ukrainians say they prefer this messenger. However, despite its popularity, attitudes toward Telegram are mixed. Only 4% of Ukrainians support a complete ban on this platform, while more than half – 51% – oppose such a restriction. At the same time, one-third of respondents believe that state regulation of Telegram is still necessary.
YouTube is growing in popularity, while Facebook, on the contrary, is losing supporters among Ukrainians.
Disinformation and manipulation: how Ukrainians recognize them
The majority of Ukrainians note a significant spread of manipulations in the information space and feel confident in their ability to recognize disinformation. In particular, 75% of respondents correctly answered one or more of the three questions about recognizing false news, which remains at the level of previous years. However, the problem of manipulation is becoming more and more urgent for many: 49% of respondents perceive it as an urgent threat in their lives, an increase from 38% last year.
From this hostile information environment, Ukrainians are fleeing to time-tested sources of information – their close friends and family. Thus, the highest level of trust among Ukrainian citizens is enjoyed by family members (85%) and friends (76%).
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