Our agency, Yucatan, in collaboration with the Opinéa Institute, has conducted a study into the French people’s confidence in the medias. The results, from a representative sample of 1011 people, reveal some interesting trends in today’s media landscape.
Television first
Television remains the most trusted media for over a third of French people (36%). This number rises to 47% among 56-70 year-olds, demonstrating the strong loyalty of older generations to this traditional media. This confidence can be explained by a number of factors:
- Reliability of information (40% of respondents)
- Real-time coverage of events (30%)
- Professionalism of journalists (25%)
- Accustomed to getting information (25%)
Generational disparity
While television remains in first place, there are notable age-specific differences:
- 18-35 years: 29% trust television
- 36-55 years: particularly attached to this media, with 30% mentioning habit as the main reason
- 56-70 years: 51% consider television to be the most reliable source of information
Social networks bring up the rear of trust
The French have the least confidence in social networks as a source of information. 62% of respondents express distrust, with a peak of 77% among seniors. The main reasons :
- Suspicion of unreliability (58%)
- Insufficient transparency of sources (46%)
Interestingly, people living in the Paris region seem less wary, with only 49.8% expressing doubts about the reliability of social networks.
A challenge for the future of media
Caroline Prince, Managing Director of the Yucatan agency: “Television remains a leading media for an entire generation. It’s also important to underline that the written press and radio are still pillars of trust for the French. But, more than ever, the problem of reliable information is going to increase dramatically with the shift in the way people get information, towards social networks. No one is fooled: their lack of reliability has been identified by all generations. That’s why it’s crucial to get young people interested in the press, in order to multiply sources of information and curb the development of Fake News. A real challenge for society.”
Alex Mairey, Associate Director at Opinéa: “Our study highlights a media transition in which television, while remaining in the lead and proving resilient, is facing unprecedented challenges at the crossroads of generational expectations and technological mutations. The challenge is twofold: to preserve its credibility as a reliable source while winning over a younger audience, used to instant, interactive and constantly evolving digital formats.”
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