Two in three people distrust the media
Date published:
New official statistics published today by NISRA statisticians present findings on public trust in the media and trust in the Northern Ireland Assembly, based on data collected in Autumn 2024 through the Northern Ireland Continuous Household Survey.
Key findings
- In Autumn 2024, three in ten people (30%) in Northern Ireland tended to trust or trusted the media a great deal, while around two-thirds (67%) tended to distrust or distrusted the media greatly.
- Similarly, three in ten people (30%) tended to trust or trusted the NI Assembly a great deal, while almost two-thirds (66%) tended to distrust or distrusted the NI Assembly greatly.
- There has been no significant change in trust in the media between 2024 and 2020 (the Programme for Government comparison year), though trust in the media was lower in 2024 than in both 2023 and 2022.
- Trust in the NI Assembly showed no significant change between 2024 and 2020. However, trust was higher in 2024 compared with 2023, 2022 and 2019.
- In 2024, individuals with a disability were significantly less likely to trust both the media and the NI Assembly than those without a disability.
- People living in rural areas were significantly more likely to trust the NI Assembly than those living in urban areas in 2024.
- Individuals aged 75 and over were more likely to trust the NI Assembly than those in middle age groups (35 to 64).
About this publication
This report presents findings from the Northern Ireland Continuous Household Survey (CHS) on Trust in the Media and Trust in the NI Assembly, two of the indicators contained within the Living Peacefully domain in the Northern Ireland Programme for Government Wellbeing Framework.
Supplementary data tables that provide additional breakdowns are available alongside the bulletin.
Further information
Read the full report: Programme for Government (PfG) Indicators: Trust in the media and Trust in the NI Assembly, Autumn 2024