Three fifths (59%) of EU citizens use digital sources daily to follow social and political current affairs, with 65% of 15 to 24 year olds citing social media as their most used source for news.
According to the Social Media Survey 2025 by Eurobarometer, two thirds of citizens use traditional media daily to follow social and political news, with television the most-used source, cited by 71% of respondents.
More than two fifths (42%) of respondents said that TV has become ‘more important’ as a news source over the past year, with 25% saying the same of social media.
The data indicates a combination of active and passive consumption of political information on social media, with 66% saying that they intentionally search for such content, while just over three quarters (76%) say that they encounter it during casual browsing.
Respondents also indicated concern about misinformation about social and political content on social media, with two thirds (66%) saying that they believe they have been exposed to disinformation or fake news at least once in the past week.
More than three fifths (61%) say that they feel ‘confident’ in their ability to recognise disinformation when they encounter it, however three in ten are not confident in their ability to recognise disinformation.
In terms of regular engagement with political content on social media, just over a fifth (22%) said they follow EU politics ‘most of the time’, while 44% do so ‘from time to time’.
Among those who use social media for current affairs, short text-based posts (46%) and short videos (41%) are the most preferred formats. Some 47% express a preference for videos exploring current affairs in depth, with 44% citing interviews with experts as valuable content.
Eurobarometer’s study also found that 37% of respondents follow influencers or content creators on social media, with this percentage rising to 74% among those aged 15 to 24. Read more here.
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