Where in Europe do people most trust the media?

This graph, taken from Eurofound’s recent Societal change and trust in institutions report, and based on European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) data, ranks countries in Europe according to their levels of trust in the media in 2016. It also gives levels of trust for 2007 and 2011.

The graph shows that levels of trust in the media are highest in Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden, and lowest in Greece, Slovenia and Croatia. In general, trust in the media is highest in Nordic, Baltic and western Member States, and lowest in southern and eastern Member States – although there are exceptions.

The EQLS shows that levels of trust in the media have been less volatile than trust in political and national institutions. Nevertheless, we can still see fluctuations in levels of trust in the media between 2007 and 2016 across the EU.

The new report highlights that overall trust in institutions such as national governments, the legal system, the EU, and the media has rebounded in Europe following the recent economic recovery – showing that the ‘crisis of trust’ in European societies following the Great Recession was largely temporary. However, in a number of the Member States most adversely impacted by the crisis, trust in national institutions has still not returned to pre-crisis levels.

Download the full report: Societal change and trust in institutions