2023-11-22 05:58:20
Why we did it. The media have a crucial role in a democracy. They provide information on events very close or very distant and reflect social debates. They participate in the right to freedom of expression and contribute to the exercise of citizenship. Precious, essential, they are nevertheless subject to strong pressures, the most recent of which are particularly technological. The digital revolution is transforming consumer habits and the journalist is no longer the only provider of information.
What impact do these transformations have on French people’s trust in the media? For more than thirty-five years, La Croix has published its barometer – with the expertise of a polling institute, Kantar, formerly Sofres –, which has become a reference source for the profession. Let’s be honest: trust is declining. But the thirst for information remains powerful.
EXCLUSIVE???? @The cross reveals the results of its latest barometer on French people’s trust in the media #BaroMedia
This year there has been a marked increase in public interest in current affairs.
With @KantarFR and on the occasion of #MediaEnSeine@MediasEnSeinepic.twitter.com/XBNjVQC7NG
— La Croix (@LaCroix) November 22, 2023
75% follow the news with great interest
The evolution is notable since the barometer published in January 2022, when, to this same question, only 62% of French people responded in this way. A gap of more than ten points that needs to be contextualized: at the time, the country was emerging from a “Covid sequence” marked by a strong feeling of saturation of the population by the media.
The resurgence of international news (wars in Ukraine and the Middle East) can also explain this renewed interest in current affairs. Note the generational gap in this area: only 61% of 18-24 year olds say they follow the news with great interest, compared to 81% of 50-64 year olds.
51% of French people feel tired or rejected by information
The figure remains unchanged compared to the previous barometer. The reasons given to explain this fatigue are the repetition of subjects (for 48% of those questioned); feeling anxious or powerless in the face of current events (38%), lack of trust in the media (27%). Added to this, pell-mell, is the fact of feeling overwhelmed by the quantity of information or even the choice of subjects (moreover considered distant from the concerns of the public). Young people and women – who say they are less interested in the news than the average – say they are more anxious and helpless in the face of information.
62% get information on the Internet at least once a day
We note a significant increase – of almost 10 points – compared to the previous edition. This is explained by the increased consultation of social networks for news. Getting information online is shared by all categories of the population. The media, on the other hand, vary: younger audiences and people with less interest in current affairs obtain more information via social networks. At the same time, consultation of the daily press shows a drop of 4 points, whether in digital format (35% consult online media every day) or in paper version (27%).
58% trust the national daily press
The credit given to the press is notable… but needs to be put into perspective. The people surveyed trust their loved ones above all (in 71% of cases) “to find out what’s happening in the news”.
Next come television news (67%) and radio (60%). Note a significant gap depending on social background: 65% of executives say they have confidence in the national press, compared to 45% of workers. Another hiatus emerges, a political one: 77% of environmentalist voters say they trust this type of media, compared to only 54% of RN voters.
56% think that journalists are not independent from the pressures of money and power
The share of French people who believe that journalists are independent of financial pressures is down 3 points compared to the previous barometer. Only 23% now think so, after several years of stagnation around 26%. The share of those who think that journalists are not independent of political parties and power remains stable, at 59%. A figure which rises to 67% among right-wing supporters, compared to 57% among left-wing supporters.
43% believe that media belonging to large industrial groups is a bad thing for the independence of journalists
If more than a quarter of French people welcome the fact that the media are owned by large industrial groups, others are very critical in this regard. Thus 43% believe that it is a bad thing for the independence of editorial staff and journalists, 40% for the plurality of opinions and the diversity of the media landscape. Conversely, there is more consensus on the usefulness of public audiovisual media in France: 48% of those questioned think that their existence serves the plurality of opinion, compared to only 16% who believe that it serves it poorly.
50% find that too much has been said about the riots following Nahel’s death
A form of weariness seems to have set in with regard to the conflict in Ukraine: the percentage of French people who believe that the media have talked about it too much this year has increased by three points compared to the last edition of the barometer.
Concerning the riots which followed the death of young Nahel, 50% believe that the media have talked about it too much; an opinion shared by 60% of right-wing supporters and 40% of left-wing supporters. As for the debate on the end of life, those over 50 are the most dissatisfied: 62% of them think that the subject has not been sufficiently covered.
66% are in favor of the engagement of journalists
More and more information professionals are taking responsibility for their commitment to news coverage. A welcome development since the overwhelming majority of those questioned say they are open to the media and journalists being transparent about the causes that are close to their hearts: 66% think that this is a good thing for freedom of expression and freedom of expression. ‘information. Results which – this is rare enough to be underlined – do not show a notable divide due to the age of the respondents, their socio-professional category or their political affinities.
For further
A try :“What’s the point of getting information? »
“In the field of information, not all messages are equal, and not all transmitters have the same status. » Infobesity, information fatigue, incessant notifications and invasive news… Today information is everywhere, from our TV screen to our pocket. If it was written and published for 15-25 year olds, this
short essay signed by the president of Arte deserves to see its audience extend beyond
of this age group. By providing a short presentation of the history of information before unraveling the current intricacies linked to digital technology, the work is a fantastic tool for understanding our relationship with information.
By Bruno Patino, La Martinière, 32 p., €3.50
A podcast: “The media workshop”
Every Saturday, Steven Jambot takes around twenty minutes to talk about the media revolutions in the digital age. From the Togolese WebTV ecoConscience to the Brut media strategy in Africa, including the portrait of FIP radio or the analysis of the dynamics of media education… The podcast produced by Simon Decreuze is a window open to the world media complex which contributes to its demystification.
Listen on RFI, Sunday at 10:10 a.m., or in podcast on listening platforms from Saturday.
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#barometer #figures