Survey sheds light on Jordanians’ news consumption patterns

AMMAN — A local study has revealed that 71 per cent of Jordanians go online on a daily basis, while access to social media platforms is part of the everyday life of 83 per cent of those surveyed.

The public opinion poll, conducted by the Department of Public Opinion Polls and Surveys between December 9 and 14 and issued by the Centre for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan, surveyed a representative sample of Jordanian society from all governorates, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Tuesday.

Notably, 1,800 people participated in the survey.

Included in the “Jordan Street Pulse” poll series, it addressed pressing issues currently facing Jordan, the region and the international community, with a focus on determinants of public opinion, sources of information and the extent to which individuals trust such sources. 

The results showed that 47.4 per cent of the respondents do not follow news sites, while 38 per cent do not check the accuracy of information, and 61 per cent get information about public events from media, 16 per cent from families and 10 per cent from friends.  

When asked about the most common sources of local news, TV was the most common, at 48 per cent, followed by Facebook at 36 per cent and news websites at 11 per cent.

As for determining the authenticity of information, 33 per cent of respondents said that they consult multiple sources and 13.1 per cent said that they accept news reports if they are announced by more than one source at the same time.

 The results showed that 43 per cent said that they consider news reliable and highly trusted if it comes from official and government sources.

According to the study, 25 per cent of the respondents have an idea about the “Haggak Tiraf” (your right to know) online platform, while only 8 per cent know about the Jordan Media Institute’s fact-checking and media-monitoring website, the Akeed platform.

The survey also showed that to access the Internet, the majority of Jordanians, at 89 per cent, use the Arabic language, while 9 per cent use English.

Corruption is the most pressing local issue according to 33 per cent of respondents, while poverty came in second at 25 per cent and unemployment came in third at 23 per cent, followed by price hikes and high living costs at 18 per cent.

Regionally, Jerusalem and the Palestinian cause are considered the most urgent issues at 44 per cent, followed by crises and wars at 23 per cent, the issue of hosting refugees in the Kingdom at 17 per cent and finally, security and stability at 14 per cent.

Internationally, Jerusalem, the Palestinian cause and the “Deal of the Century” are considered the most pressing issues at 43.3 per cent. Wars and conflicts followed at 22.4 per cent and difficult economic conditions at 8.4 per cent.