📊 In Kazakhstan, Social Media Is Trusted More Than TV

The data confirms that the direct displacement of legacy media by digital platforms has given way to a stable hybrid model of media consumption, with the public successfully combining social networks with traditional broadcasting.

Messengers and social networks remain the most trusted sources of information, favored by 39.1% of respondents. The quarter’s defining trend was a noticeable surge in trust toward local television, with domestic channels rising by 4.3 percentage points to reach 33%.

Public trust across key information sources breaks down as follows:

• Social media and messengers: 39.1%
• Kazakhstani TV channels: 33%
• Informal channels (family, friends, colleagues): 16%
• Skeptics (trust no source): 15.5%
• International news agency websites: 9.2%
• Print press: 5%
• Radio broadcasting: 4.8%

The survey revealed significant variations based on respondents’ geography, age, and education level.

In rural areas, trust runs higher for both digital and traditional media: 45.4% of rural residents trust social networks (compared to 35.5% in cities), while 35.6% trust TV (versus 31.4% among urban dwellers).

The age divide reflects classic demographic patterns: youth aged 18–28 overwhelmingly prefer social media (48%), according TV just 26.8%. Conversely, the older generation (61+) places primary trust in national television channels (43.8%), compared to 26.9% for messaging apps. Notably, TV maintains a trust level above 30% across all educational demographics, peaking at 35.3% among individuals with vocational education.

Higher levels of education correlate directly with greater reliance on digital and official resources: as educational attainment increases, trust in social media climbs from 35.5% to 43.4%, and confidence in government portals grows from 10.3% to 17.7%. Television’s gains in Q3 demonstrate that traditional media is not merely retaining its audience, but actively strengthening its credibility alongside global digitalization.