Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1512001
Private TV, which in Malta includes two stations owned by political parties, is only trusted by 26% of Maltese, three points less than the EU average. A notable 25% of Maltese ex- press trust in online portals and blogs, more than double the percentage in the EU. Hungar- ians are the most likely to trust this news source (28%). Sixteen percent of Maltese trust information from social media friends and groups they follow. Social media groups are more trusted in Poland (29%) and Hungary (28%). How the Maltese access their news Despite higher trust in public TV and radio and the written press, most Maltese (70%) ac- cess their news through social media, almost double the EU average (37%). Maltese, along with Cypriots, are the most likely in Europe to obtain news from social media. While 49% access news through TV and an equal por- tion through online press, only 21% access news from the radio, making Maltese the least likely in Europe to use this medium. They also rank among the least likely to get news from printed media (11%). A survey reveals a digital gen- erational divide in news con- sumption, with 86% of Maltese under 24 years old accessing news from social media plat- forms, while 62% of those aged over 55 prefer TV. The survey also indicates that 28% of Maltese actively search for news several times a day, with an additional 36% follow- ing the news once a day. Only 8% of Maltese actively avoid the news. When asked about their pre- ferred method of accessing news, 52% of Maltese said they go directly to the website or application of the news source, while 48% read articles appear- ing on their social media feed. Facebook rules in Malta The survey reveals that 81% of Maltese used Facebook in the previous seven days, com- pared to 63% of respondents in all EU member states. Hun- garians (83%) are the most avid Facebook users, followed by the Maltese, Bulgarians, and Lithu- anians (81%). In contrast, only 55% of Austrians used Facebook in the week preceding the sur- vey. Maltese citizens are more like- ly to use Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, and LinkedIn than most other Europeans. Usage of YouTube, TikTok, and Insta- gram is similar to that in most EU member states, while the Maltese are less likely to use X, Telegram, Snapchat, and Viber. 42% follow Influencers Forty-two percent of Maltese use social media to follow in- fluencers or content creators, in contrast to just 37% of respond- ents in all EU member states. This figure varies between 29% in Belgium and 49% in Finland and Ireland. Most Maltese follow influenc- ers for product reviews (37%) and insights into their personal lives (35%). The Maltese are sig- nificantly less likely than most other Europeans to follow them for tutorials or for social and political commentary. 9 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 22 NOVEMBER 2023 NEWS among least trusted in Europe What media have you used to access the news in past 7 days? (Malta) Which social media have you used in past 7 days? What type of content from influencers do you prefer?