Which Internet sources do Russians trust?

Publication date: 16 February 2023

Russians rely on information obtained from news and analysis websites, as well as Telegram channels. Such conclusions can be drawn from a survey conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM or VCIOM) in January 2023.

Meanwhile, reports from central television (53%) and local television (47%) are the most trusted sources among Russians.

Among the Internet sources that Russians trust are:

Consequently, the index of trust* in Internet media looks like this:

• in the top place are news, analytical, official websites and Telegram channels with a rating of 8;
• messengers with minus 8;
• social networks and blogs with minus 20.

The trust index refers to the difference between those who trust the media and those who have expressed distrust of information from a source.

Public Opinion Foundation has also published data for January 2023. It was found that the majority of Russians (62%) learn news from TV programs, 42% search on news websites and 23% in social networks. However, it is worth noting that in recent years (surveys from 2019 to 2023), both social networks (forums, blogs) and news sites remain stable sources of information that elicit maximum confidence.

Internet sites are among the most popular among 18–30-year-olds (56%) and 31–45-year-olds (55%); social networks are 44% among 18–30-year-olds and 27% among 31–45-year-olds.

The better the education, the higher the trust rating:

• people with higher education choose websites (56%) and social networks (32%);
• specialized secondary education: 41% sites and 20% social networks;
• secondary education and below: 29% sites and 18% social networks.