43% of Germans trust social media more than the media - study

2 hours ago

**43% of Germans trust social media more than traditional media – study results**

According to a new study, 43% of Germans trust social media posts more than traditional media. This was reported by Deutsche Welle, citing the results of the Social Media Atlas 2026 survey.

The study, commissioned by PER Agency and conducted by marketing company Toluna in collaboration with the Institute for Management and Economic Research (IMWF), surveyed 3,600 internet users over the age of 16 online. According to the data, this figure is 6 percentage points higher than last year.

The researchers noted that more than a third of respondents also often follow personal recommendations when it comes to news. This trend is especially evident among representatives of the "Z generation" (16-29 years old), 47% of whom are inclined to personal recommendations. Among "Generation Y" (30-45 years old), this figure is 46 percent. With age, the share of such people decreases significantly.

Roland Heinze, head of PER Agency and social media expert, assessed these results as alarming from the point of view of the formation of public opinion. According to him, while in traditional media there is a procedure for checking and editorial control of information before publication, there is no such mechanism in social networks, especially for messages shared by ordinary users. "The decline in trust in editorial teams is changing the way public opinion is formed," says Roland Heinze.

At the same time, survey participants also noted that they often encounter incorrect or distorted information on social networks. 57 percent of respondents said that they had encountered distorted messages on Facebook. On TikTok, this figure was 51 percent, and on Instagram, 45 percent.

84 percent of internet users in Germany are active users of social media. In 2011, this figure was 64 percent. The most popular platforms remain WhatsApp (77 percent), YouTube (74 percent), Facebook (64 percent), Instagram (60 percent) and TikTok (47 percent).

It has previously been reported that far-right groups in Germany are actively using social media to recruit young people. The groups Jung & Stark and Deutsche Jugend Voran are said to have been conducting propaganda on Telegram, Instagram and other platforms.