Survey: Latvians trust domestic media more, social media less
A study by Latvia's National Electronic Mass Media Council shows that residents trust public and commercial media more this year, while trust in social media information has declined.
Trust among Latvian residents in public and commercial media has grown this year, while confidence in information on social networks has fallen. This is the finding of a media literacy study by the National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP, the state body overseeing electronic media). The survey was carried out by the company Latvijas fakti from May to July 2026 and covered 1,525 permanent residents of Latvia aged 15 and over. In addition, 71 semi-structured interviews were held with participants aged nine and above.
Public and commercial media
Information from Latvian Public Media was rated fully or mostly credible by 39% of respondents, six percentage points more than in 2025. Some 28% called it partly credible and 20% considered it untrustworthy. Commercial media information was seen as credible by 32%, eight points more than last year; 37% rated it partly credible and 19% untrustworthy.
Social media
Information on social media, including Facebook, YouTube, X, Instagram and TikTok, was rated credible by 10%, four points less than last year. Some 51% called it partly credible, while 30% found it untrustworthy, an increase of eight points.
Differences between groups
The sharpest rise in trust was among young people aged 15 to 25: 33% trust public media and 30% trust commercial outlets. Among people aged 65 and over, the figures are 37% and 28%. Members of ethnic minorities trust Latvian media less often, though their trust is also rising; they trust social media more often than ethnic Latvians do. Wealthier and better-educated respondents are more likely to trust Latvian media.
The study also points to traditionally low trust in public institutions: most residents distrust the Cabinet of Ministers and the Saeima, and more than 70% distrust political parties. The authors suggest this may negatively affect attitudes toward the media.
