Survey: Half of Romanians rely on TV for their information, think that Russia is the main source of disinformation
TV news stations are the main source of information for more than half of Romanians, followed by social media, according to a new INSCOP poll conducted at the request of News.ro. The same survey revealed that most respondents see Russia as the main source of propaganda actions, disinformation, and fake news in Romania.
51.6% of Romanians tend to get their information most often from TV stations, 28.3% from social networks, 12.7% from news websites, 4.8% from radio stations, and 1.3% from newspapers and magazines.
Those who most often get their information from TV stations, in proportions slightly higher than the population average, include PSD-PNL voters, women, people over 45 years old, those with lower education levels, the passively inactive, residents of small urban or rural areas, those with lower income, and those who do not have social media accounts. Social networks are most often used as a source of information especially by ADU voters, younger people, and the potentially active inactive, according to the survey cited by News.ro.
Despite their popularity, 43% of Romanians think that social networks are the most exposed to disinformation, while slightly more than a third say that TV stations are most exposed to fake news.
When asked to what extent they believe they have been exposed to fake news or disinformation on various channels in recent months, 17.4% of respondents believe they have been exposed to a very large extent, 28.3% to a large extent, 28.6% to a small extent, and 22.7% to a very small extent/not at all.
Those who believe they have been exposed to fake news to a large and very large extent include AUR voters, people under 45, those with higher education, those active in the labor market, residents of Bucharest, and private sector employees.
Those who consider they have been exposed to a small and very small extent to fake news include PSD-PNL voters, people over 45, those with primary education, the inactive, residents of small urban or rural areas, those with lower income, those who do not have social media accounts, and public sector employees.
In the opinion of 45.6% of Romanians, Russia is the main source of propaganda actions, disinformation, and fake news in Romania. This percentage is significantly higher than the one recorded in January 2022, before Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, when it stood at 27.3%.
Conversely, 13.9% (down from 17% in January 2022) say that the EU is the main source of disinformation, followed by the US with 10.8% (4.9% in 2022).
PSD-PNL and AUR voters, people over 45, those with higher education, the passively inactive or white collars believe to a greater extent than the rest of the population that Russia is the main entity supporting propaganda actions, disinformation, and spreading fake news.
When asked who they believe should protect people from the influence of fake news and disinformation, 41.6% of respondents indicate state institutions, 37.3% think that it is an individual responsibility, and 19.5% indicate the mass media, journalists.
“The phenomenon of disinformation and the spread of fake news is recognized by a good part of the population, which believes it has been personally exposed, identifies social networks as the main environment where disinformation spreads, sees Russia as the main country supporting such actions - significantly increased compared to 2022, after the military aggression against Ukraine - and believes that state institutions should protect the population, but also that people themselves should defend against the influence of fake news and disinformation,” states Remus Ștefureac, director of INSCOP Research.
The opinion poll was conducted by INSCOP Research at the request of News.ro press agency. Data was collected between February 22 - 29, through the CATI method (telephone interviews), using a questionnaire. The sample volume, simple, stratified, is of 1,100 people.
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