BBC/Reuters/Media Center Poll: Trust in the Media

A poll conducted in-person or by telephone for the BBC, Reuters, and The Media Center by the international polling firm GlobeScan found that "Trust in media has increased overall over the last four years - in Britain up from 29 percent to 47 percent and in the US from 52 percent to 59 percent...". Carried out from March 10 to April 4 2006 with a total sample of 10,230 people from 10 countries (Brazil, Egypt, Germany, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Russia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the poll found that the media is more trusted than the national government in half the countries surveyed. Media was trusted by an average of 61% of the respondents, compared to 52% who trusted the government. Trust in media was highest in Nigeria (88% vs 34% gov't.) National television was the most trusted news source overall (trusted by 82%, with 16% not trusting it) - followed by national/regional newspapers (75% vs. 19%), local newspapers (69% vs. 23%), public radio (67% vs. 18%), and international satellite TV (56% vs. 19%).

Despite these findings, the report indicates that significant numbers of people are switching news sources because they do not trust the information they receive. In fact, 28% of those polled report abandoning a news source in the past year because of lack of trust in its content. Internet news sources appear to be winning audiences as a result of loss of trust in traditional sources - especially young urban men. (Online news sources were the first choice among 19% of the respondents aged between 18 and 24, compared to just 3% between 55 to 64 years old.) However, just as many people distrust blogs (23%) as trust them (25%). Blogs are least trusted in Brazil, where just 20% of the respondents trust them and 45% distrust them; blogs are most trusted in South Korea (38% trust vs. 25% distrust).

Other selected findings from the poll:

• There is strong demand across all countries and ages for news: 72% follow news closely every day, including 67% in the 18-24 age range. More men (76%) than women (69%) said they followed the news closely every day.
• Two in three people believe news is reported accurately, but more than half believe that governments interfere too much with the media; Nigerians believed most strongly that government interferes too much in the media (75%). Of all those surveyed, only 42% think journalists can report freely. People are divided on whether the media covers all sides of a story, with 41% disagreeing.
• 77% of those polled prefer to check several news sources instead of relying on just one, especially internet users.