Bitkom survey:

Social media an important source of political information

The most important social media platform among all users who find out about politics via social media or messenger services is Facebook.

(Bild: Thaspol - stock.adobe.com)

More than half of internet users in Germany (59%) use social media or messenger services to find out about political issues. This is the result of a representative survey published by the digital association Bitkom in Berlin. In February, Bitkom Research interviewed 1005 people in Germany aged 16 and over by telephone, including 877 internet users.

The intensity of political information via X, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok and co. depends on age: In the group of 16 to 29-year-olds, the proportion is highest at 77%. Among 30 to 49-year-olds, 63% use social media for information, while the figure for 50 to 64-year-olds is 58%. Among senior citizens aged 65 and over, the proportion drops to 36%.

Facebook leads the way
The most important social media platform among all users who find out about politics via social media or messenger services is Facebook with 55%. 41% of respondents use X (formerly Twitter) for this purpose. 25% obtain political information from the WhatsApp messenger service. 23% use LinkedIn and 21% Xing for this purpose. Instagram is relevant for political information for 16%.

However, despite the high level of political interest among users, politicians themselves are only the direct source of information or the starting point for political debate in exceptional cases. The Bitkom survey shows that only 11% of those who use social networks or messengers to find out about politics follow the profiles of individual politicians.

Bitkom political expert Fabian Zacharias said that some politicians were already making exemplary use of the opportunities offered by social media. "Above all, those who present themselves authentically and engage in open and honest communication with users are successful."