Germany is eager to learn: many want to keep up to date
91.4% of people in Germany consider it very or quite important to be informed about current social and political events. This is shown by the representative IU study on media literacy in Germany.
Question: How important to you is it to be informed about current social and political events?
Top 3 news sources: TV, online news portals and radio
The most frequently used sources of information for social and political news are: news programmes on television, online news portals and radio. This is followed by social media and personal connections, i.e. family and friends.
Looking at the generations, we can see that the younger the person, the more important social media is as a news source. For Generation Z, social media is actually the most frequently used source of news.
Another interesting finding: only a few people in Germany, regardless of age, currently use artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, as a source of news.
Question: What sources do you mainly use to keep up to date with current social and political events?
Top 13 answers
Despite the often discussed decline in importance, the study results indicate that traditional media, such as television and radio, remain important sources of information in the digital age. According to the results, printed newspapers are less useful as a source of information than online news portals. We’re seeing a shift, especially among younger generations, for whom social media and personal connections are important news sources. Artificial intelligence currently plays a minor role across generations, but is likely to become more prominent in the future.”
Prof. Dr Julia Levasier
Professor of Public Relations and Communication at the IU International University of Applied Sciences
Focus
Trust in the media in 2025: who trusts who – and why?
A key focus of the IU study on media literacy is the public’s trust in the (German) media. The results reveal the sources of information that people in Germany trust – and the criteria they use to judge their reliability.
Trust in the media: definition
Trust in the media refers to the expectation that media outlets provide reliable, truthful information – even if you cannot verify the content yourself. It can refer to the entire media system or to individual media outlets, formats or individuals.
Source: journalistikon.de/medienvertrauen/
Trust in traditional media greater than in AI and social media
The majority of people in Germany trust completely or tend to trust traditional media, such as radio, television news programmes, online news portals and newspapers. Almost three-quarters of respondents also trust personal connections, i.e. friends and family.
Trust in AI and social media is low: only 30.9% of respondents trust AI, such as ChatGPT, while 30.8% trust completely or tend to trust social media in general as a source. (More on this in Focus: Social Media).
Question: To what extent do you generally trust the following sources?
Without answer “I cannot say”; excerpt from the surveyed sources
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Trust in the media: people up to the age of 45 (Generations Z and Y) use social media more frequently as a source of news, but trust it almost as little as older generations. More on this in Focus: Social Media.
“My trust in the media has declined in recent years.”
Question: To what extent do you agree with the following statement? “My trust in the media has declined in recent years.”
Without answer “I cannot say”; excerpt from the statements surveyed
What factors make media trustworthy?
Consistency with other reliable sources, neutrality, soundness and transparency are the key factors that make a source of information reputable in the eyes of the respondents.
Question: In your opinion, what makes a source of information (e.g. news programme, newspaper, social media account) reliable when it comes to current social and political events?
Top 10 answers
Many people judge the reliability of information based on whether several media outlets report on it consistently. This is generally a positive sign for media awareness. However, there’s a risk with this approach: when false information is picked up by several media outlets, a single source reporting the correct facts can be overlooked. This is when the ‘bandwagon effect’ kicks in – the tendency to believe something is right simply because many others do.”
Prof. Dr Julia Levasier
Professor of Public Relations and Communication at the IU International University of Applied Sciences
Fact-checking? Part of everyday life for most people
51.9% of people in Germany always or frequently fact-check information about current social and political events to ensure that it is accurate. A further 33.8% sometimes fact-check or compare sources with each other.
Question: To what extent do you verify the accuracy of information about current social and political events (e.g. by comparing it with other sources or by fact-checking)?
What are your reasons for not fact-checking?
I trust the sources I use.
37.6 %
I can’t be bothered.
36.7 %
I don’t have the time.
29.8 %
It’s not that important to me.
22.4 %
I’ve never really thought about fact-checking information before.
20.4 %
I don’t know how to fact-check information.
8.2 %
Question: Why do you rarely or never check the accuracy of information you obtain about current social and political events?
Only respondents who rarely or never check information for accuracy; top 6 answers
The study shows that many people regularly fact-check. Media literacy is thus already a reality in some areas. But fact-checking is time-consuming and costly. This makes it all the more important to have reliable media outlets that conduct their own thorough research, disclose their sources and thereby build trust. Traditional media, in particular, play a pivotal role in our free democracy: they provide direction, filter information and counteract increasing disinformation.”
Prof. Dr Nele Hansen
Professor of Media Management at IU International University of Applied Sciences
