Dynamics of media consumption in Russia: Russians have become less trusting. ROMIR data for Q4 2024.

Analysis of media consumption by Russians for Q4 2024, conducted by the ROMIR research holding, shows a complex and dynamic picture, characterized by both the growing popularity of some media channels and a decrease in trust in others. There is some correlation between the level of use of a media channel and the level of trust in it, but this dependence is not absolute.

Television is showing growing popularity among Russians. The share of respondents using television as a source of information was 59% in Q4 2024, which is 2 p.p. lower than the figure for Q4 2023 (61%) and 3 p.p. higher than in the previous quarter (56%). In December 2024, the share of those who named television as the main source of information increased to 41%, which is comparable with the figure for Q3 2024 and slightly lower (-3 p.p.) than the figure for Q3 2023 (44%). The level of trust in information received from television decreased by 2 p.p. compared to the previous quarter and stabilized at 33%. Radio continues to lose its audience, although not as rapidly. In Q4 2024, 17% of respondents named radio as a source of information (18% a year earlier), which is 1 p.p. more than in the previous quarter. The share of those who consider radio to be the main source of information remained unchanged at 3%. The level of trust in radio decreased to 23%, which is 3 p.p. lower than a year earlier (26%) and 1 p.p. lower than in the previous quarter. Analysts emphasize that trust does not correlate with the use of a particular channel. Online resources are showing an increase in popularity, but a decrease in trust. In Q4 2024, 27% of respondents used online resources as a source of information, which is 4 percentage points higher than in Q3 - 23% (30% a year earlier). Online resources were named as the main source of information by 12% of Russians, which also indicates an increase compared to the previous quarter (10%). The level of trust also shows positive dynamics and has grown to 22%, compared to the previous quarter (20%). Messengers such as Telegram continue to gain popularity, but trust in them is not growing. In Q4 2024, 34% of respondents used Telegram as a source of information (31% in Q3 2024, 28% a year earlier). The share of those who consider Telegram the main source of information was 18% (17% in Q3 2024, 14% a year earlier), while the level of trust remained at 22%, which has not changed compared to the previous quarter and year.
VKontakte is also showing an increase in popularity, but a decrease in trust. In Q4 2024, 19% of respondents used VKontakte as a source of information (17% in Q3 2024, 15% a year earlier). The share of those who use VKontakte as the main source of information is 6%, and the level of trust decreased to 12% (14% in Q3 2024).
YouTube, despite the slowdown in growth, maintains a stable position. 18% of respondents used YouTube as a source of information in Q4 2024, which is in line with the figures for Q3 2024, but 2 percentage points lower than the previous year's figure (20%). The share of those who consider YouTube the main source of information is 6%, and the level of trust has decreased to 14% (16% in Q3 2024). Friends and acquaintances (or "word of mouth") remain a significant source of information, but there is a decrease in trust here too. 29% of respondents received information from friends and acquaintances in Q4 2024, which is 3 p.p. more than in the previous quarter, but trust has decreased to 29%, which is 2 p.p. lower than in the previous quarter (31%).