Trust in private media is growing. Public media have the highest trust rating since 2016.

More than half of Poles declare trust in private media, and public media have achieved the highest trust rate since 2016 – over 35 percent. Furthermore, three in ten Poles trust social media, according to an IBRiS survey conducted for the Polish Press Agency (PAP).

IBRiS assessed that in the last year there have been significant shifts in media perception and consumption - private media have experienced a significant increase in trust.

Over the course of a year, the percentage of people who trust them increased by 12 percentage points – from 39.3% in October 2024 to 51.3% in September 2025. At the same time, the percentage of people who "strongly distrust" them fell from 18.1% to 5.2%, which is the largest change of this type in the table.

In turn, public media recorded an increase in trust by 4.3 percentage points, from 31.0% in October 2024 to 35.3% in September 2025.

"This is the highest result since 2016, when approximately 30% of Poles declared trust in this type of media. Despite this, society remains deeply polarized. The total percentage of people declaring distrust (47.7%) is still higher than the percentage of those who trust," explained IBRiS.

The most alarming results concern social media, the study noted. Trust in them is a mere 30.4%, with none of the respondents declaring they "strongly trust" platforms like Facebook or X. More than half of the respondents (55.5%) express distrust of them, making them the least trusted source of information in Poland.

"The rebound in trust in private media may be a reaction to the changing political landscape and society's expectations for objectivity and independence. Poles, tired of polarization, are seeking information sources they perceive as more balanced and professional. To this end, they primarily turn to their favorite YouTube channels, which are increasingly considered the next news outlets. At the same time, public media, despite their recorded growth, continue to grapple with a legacy of deep divisions. Their trust is fragile and deeply divided, making it difficult for them to rebuild their position as a universal source of information," commented Kamil Smogorzewski, Communications Director at IBRiS.

The survey was conducted on September 12-13, 2025, on a representative sample of 1,067 adult Poles, using the CATI method. (PAP)

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