Survey / TV versus Social Media: where do Romanians get their information

In Romania, television has not disappeared from the center of informational life. However, while people continue to trust television as a source of information, more and more of the news they see reaches them through a different route: Facebook, TikTok and algorithms that decide what appears on the screen. This is one of the main conclusions of a survey analyzed by Expert Forum (EFOR) in collaboration with the Political Rating Agency (ARP), in a report published in August 2026.

The study, conducted between June 30 – July 3, 2026, on a representative sample of 1,174 people, highlights a profound rupture between the channels where citizens discover news and the sources they truly trust.

When asked which source they trust to get their daily information, 28.7% of Romanians indicate television as their first choice. Online written press is credited with 10.4%, family with 9.9%, and radio with 5.9%. In comparison, social networks gather only 14.5% of the primary trust options.

Contrary to the general impression that Facebook has become an outdated network, the study shows that it remains the main gateway to news for the general public, being used by 37.9% of respondents to find out what is happening in the country. YouTube ranks second with 17.9%, while TikTok comes in third with 14.5%.

TikTok captivates the youth

Among the age group of 18-29 years, TikTok is the absolute leader, being the main source of news for 33.3% of them, while Facebook attracts only 15.3%. For individuals over 60 years, Facebook clearly dominates the digital space, with 49.5% using it as their primary online information option.