RIA Novosti: Most Russians Still Trust TV News More Than Internet – Poll

File Photo of Russian Television Studio

(RIA Novosti – August 13, 2013) The share of Russians who trust the TV is almost three times greater than of those who regard the internet as a trustworthy source of information, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on 13 August, quoting the latest opinion poll from VTsIOM, the Russian Public Opinion Research Centre.

Asked which source they would trust more if there were conflicting reports on a certain event in the media, 60 per cent chose television; 22 per cent, the internet; and 7 per cent, papers and magazines.

The poll results on the VTsIOM website (http://wciom.ru/index.php?id=459&uid=114345) show that the share of those who trusted the TV increased considerably compared with 1991, when the figure was just 35 per cent (the internet was not listed as an option in the 1991 survey).

Asked what their main source of information about events in the country was, 60 per cent of those polled in 2013 chose television (up from 46 per cent in 1991) and 23 per cent chose the internet. Newspapers and magazines were chosen by just 7 per cent (down from 31 in 1991); the radio, by 5 per cent (down from 13); and “conversations with people”, by 4 per cent (down from 6).

However, among those who said they used the internet “practically daily”, 48 per cent said it was their main source for news, and only 40 per cent chose the TV. Among those who used the internet “several times a week or several times a month”, the figures were 11 and 70 per cent respectively; and among those who used the internet “occasionally” or not at all, 1 and 76 per cent respectively.

The poll also revealed significant variation according to age. Among 18 to 24 year olds, 50 per cent said their main source for news was the internet and 34 per cent said it was television. Among 25 to 34 year olds, the figures were reversed: 50 per cent chose TV and 37 per cent the internet. The preference for TV increased further in older age groups: 53 against 29 per cent for those aged 35 to 44; 72 against 11 per cent for the 45-59 age group; and 76 against 2 per cent for the over-60s. None of the other sources of information (radio, newspapers, magazines or conversations with others) scored more than 9 per cent in any age group.

The poll was conducted on 27-28 July 2013 among 1,600 people in 130 population centers in 42 regions of Russia. The margin of error was no more than 3.4 per cent, VTsIOM said.

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