The National
Broadcasting Council

In the survey, we asked Poles about how they use the media, their level of trust in it, and their assessment of media education in the country. The results confirmed that media knowledge and literacy are becoming key skills today. This is why the National Broadcasting Council consistently develops and intensifies its efforts in this area, treating media education as one of the important elements of its mission.

Poles are aware of the importance of the mass media. As many as 85% of respondents consider the media to be the ‘fourth estate’, with a significant influence on social and public life.

Television was identified as the most opinion-forming medium, ahead of social media and internet news portals. At the same time, it is precisely television and social networking sites that are most often seen as places where audiences encounter manipulated or false information.

The survey also examined how Poles assess public media – that is, Telewizja Polska S.A. (in liquidation), Polskie Radio S.A. (in liquidation), and Polish Radio's regional stations.

The data show that nearly 55% of respondents described public media as biased, and 41% felt that they impose opinions and views on their audiences. At the same time, almost 40% of respondents recognise their influence on shaping public opinion. Nearly 22% believe public media present events at home and abroad unreliably. These results show how significant a challenge it remains to build and maintain audience trust in the media.

One important finding of the survey is the scale of hate speech. As many as 78% of respondents say they have personally encountered it in the media. Notably, more than half of respondents (56%) said that the rise in inappropriate content (such as excessive violence, vulgar language, or so-called ‘patho-content’) is most evident on social media.

Particular concern surrounds the impact of the digital environment on children and young people. As many as 89% of Poles view the effect of social media on the development and mental health of minors negatively. Furthermore, 63% of respondents believe that media outlets, broadcasters, and online creators fail to adequately fulfil their duty to protect children from harmful content.

Nearly half of Poles (48%) rate the standard of media education in Poland negatively, with almost 15% of respondents rating it very poorly. Notably, around 9% of respondents said they did not know what media education even was. This shows how necessary systemic action is in this area.

More than 70% of respondents believe that media education should be aimed at the whole of society, not just the youngest. 21% of respondents identified ‘children and young people’ as the target group. Seniors, journalists and media professionals, and influencers each scored around 3%.

The survey, commissioned by the KRRiT, was conducted by the National Research Group (OGB) between 12 and 23 May 2026 using the CATI method. A representative sample of N=1,000 Polish residents aged 15 and over was surveyed. The sample was selected using a quota-random method, based on the following criteria: sex, age, education, and place of residence (data according to GUS, the Polish Central Statistical Office).