MEDIA CONSUMPTION IN UZBEKISTAN: INFORMATION SOURCES, TRUST AND AUDIENCE NEEDS

The Republican Center for the Study of Public Opinion “Ijtimoiy Fikr” has launched a nationwide sociological study aimed at comprehensively examining media consumption patterns among the population of Uzbekistan.

In today’s rapidly changing information environment, it is increasingly important to understand which sources people use to obtain news, why they choose particular media outlets, what types of content and formats they prefer, and how much they trust the information they receive. From this perspective, the study will make it possible to analyze the role of traditional and digital media in public life based on the direct assessments of citizens.

The study will examine citizens’ interest in events taking place in the country and its regions, their sources of information, the frequency and duration of media use, preferred content topics, languages, and formats of presentation. The habits of television, radio, print and online media audiences, as well as social media users, will be analyzed separately.

Particular attention in the survey will be given to public trust in the media, perceptions of its role in society, attitudes toward freedom of speech and media independence, the conditions created for journalists’ professional activities, current challenges in the media sector, and public proposals for improving media performance.

The study will also explore citizens’ exposure to unreliable and misleading information, their practices of verifying news and messages, their ability to distinguish false information from trustworthy content, and the risks associated with social networks and messaging platforms.

The findings of the study will help identify the population’s actual information needs, assess the characteristics of audiences across different media platforms, determine demand for reliable and useful content, strengthen media literacy, and develop scientific and practical recommendations for the further development of the national media environment based on public expectations.

The survey is conducted anonymously. The data obtained will be analyzed and presented only in aggregated form. The Center encourages citizens to take an active part in the study and, through their opinions and assessments, contribute to the further improvement of the country’s media environment.