Radio is the most trusted medium among citizens in 23 out of 34 countries across Europe according to a new report by the EBU’s Media Intelligence Service (MIS).

By contrast, social networks, which were measured for the first time, tend not to be trusted in any single country surveyed.  

The report is based on the results of the 2014 Eurobarometer, a survey consisting of approximately 1,000 face-to-face interviews in each EU, acceding and candidate country.

Senior Media Analyst Dr David Fernandez Quijada says where trust is high over extended periods, organizations can withstand an occasional crisis.

“In social organizations such as public service media, trust also relates to social responsibility,” said Dr Fernández Quijada. “Media can work to increase trust on a mid to long-term basis by championing honesty and authenticity. However, the result will not only be related to their performance and values, but also to external factors beyond the broadcasters’ control, such as cultural or economic issues.”

EBU Members may access the complete findings via the Media Intelligence Portal.

Broadcasters earn high levels of trust

Citizens were asked to express their level of trust in social institutions including television, radio, the written press, the internet and online social networks. From this, three clusters of media emerged:

Broadcasting (including radio and TV)

Overall, these media are perceived with high levels of trust in most of the countries surveyed. The highest scores are found in Nordic countries while low levels of trust are common in south-eastern European countries.

Press

On average, the level of trust generated by the written press in Europe is low (an average trust index of -6), being negative in most of the countries. The countries with highest levels of trust are Finland, Netherlands and Portugal while the United Kingdom, Turkey and Greece are at the bottom.

Digital (including internet and social networks)

In general terms, these media are perceived with low levels of trust in most of the countries. This trend stands out in the case of social networks. The distribution of countries is  converse to the broadcasting cluster, with eastern countries showing the highest level of trust and western countries displaying low levels of trust; France, Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom show the lowest level of trust. There is only one country, Greece, where neither radio nor TV is the most trusted media.