It turns out that Maltese citizens’ go-to source for news is social media, with 71% of respondents to an EU survey branding it as their number one choice.

In 2022, most respondents said they got their news from online platforms while slightly more than half sourced it from TV. This year, however, the times have changed with social media marking a 15% increase in its use as a primary news source in Malta. 

A Eurobarometer survey published today by the European Parliament took a deep dive into media habits and it discovered that 71% of respondents have gone to social media for their daily – or not – dose of news in the past seven days.

Meanwhile, Lovin Malta is the country’s biggest online portal across platforms and the second most followed news house on the island. So, this news once again reaffirms the newsroom’s major local impact. 

In the EU as a whole, however, television has 71% of respondents in its grip as their main source of news followed by online press and news platforms at 42% having increased as a news source by 11% since a 2022 EU Parliament survey.

When it comes to topics, 66% of Maltese respondents said they accessed local news in the past seven days, followed by 48% who read up on European and international affairs, and 40% who browsed articles related to national politics which is interestingly an 11% decrease since last year.

Additionally, most Maltese respondents seemed to implement news into their daily routines with 64% stating that they follow it every day (28% of this number actively search for news several times a day), while 25% admitted to following the news from time to time, 5% saying that they avoid some news topics, and 3% saying they avoid the news completely, and hey… can you blame them?

It turns out that in Malta, Facebook is the most popular platform for news (81%) followed by WhatsApp at 72%, YouTube at 52%, and Instagram at 47%.

Moreover, in the last seven days, people in Malta equally used social media for news and messaging purposes – with 61% registered on both options under the purposes for the use of social networks category. 

However, public TV and radio stations – including their online platforms – remain the most trusted news sources in Malta at 39% closely followed by the written press – also including its online platforms – at 35%. These were followed by private TV and radio stations at 26% and other online news platforms – including blogs and podcasts – at 25%.

If you’re interested in reading the whole report click here.

This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

What’s your primary source of media?