Nearly half of young people ‘trust’ social media content about politics, reveals survey

Nearly half of young people ‘trust’ information they see about politics on social media, a survey has found.

The survey, carried out by DJS Research for the Electoral Commission and consisting of 2,500 11 to 25-year-olds, found that 44% believe that social media offers trustworthy information about politics.

50% stated that they receive their political news from social media, which increased to 59% for those over 18.

Respondents were asked where they have heard about politics on social media in the last 12 months, to which 68% said TikTok.

This may stem from the content created by dozens of ‘accidental influencers’, with some of such content having the same amount of traction in the 2024 general election as political parties’ own posts.

For example, 15-year-old Tolu posted a video on TikTok condemning politicians’ anti-immigration rhetoric. It had reached tens of thousands of people by the time she woke up the next morning, which is more than many posts from major political parties.

Young people being correctly informed about politics is becoming increasingly important amid Labour plans to allow those aged 16 and above to vote

Dependency on social media platforms such as TikTok may be a cause for concern, since they often contain conspiracy theories, extreme content, and fake news.

The report stressed how young people can’t always be sure that the political content they see on social media is reliable. Young people being correctly informed about politics is becoming increasingly important amid Labour plans to allow those aged 16 and above to vote.

A different survey for BBC Bitesize found that when respondents were asked who they would trust most to tell them the truth about the news, 5% chose influencers, while just 1% chose politicians.

The DJS Research report also stated that just a third of 11 to 17-year-olds heard about politics at school in the last year. However, 74% believe what they do learn about politics at school, while 78% claim they trust information about politics from their parents.

Just 31% of all respondents said that they know ‘a lot’ about what the UK Government does, and only 24% of 15 to 17-year-olds claimed to be interested in politics

Asked about sources of political information, TV was proportionally the largest among respondents, at 56%. However, the report noted that information from TV “tends to be digested passively, for example overhearing what their parents are watching, instead of something they’ve chosen to watch for themselves”.

Just 31% of all respondents said that they know “a lot” about what the UK Government does, and only 34% of 15 to 17-year-olds claimed to be interested in politics.

The Chief Executive at the Electoral Commission, Vijay Rangarajan, said: “It’s crucial that young people are getting the right support to prepare them to participate in elections, which is all the more important if the franchise is to be extended to 16-year-olds.

“Now is the time to ensure the offering to young people is strong.”