Moldovans watch TV more than three hours a day during the week and use the Internet by three hours on average. The social and political news items are most popular with the Moldovan public. As regards the recreational content, preference is given to the foreign TV products or products in the Russian language. The conclusions are contained in a study of the developments and preferences concerning the mass media in Moldova, which was commissioned to the Institute of Marketing and Polls IMAS by the Association for Development and Cooperation, IPN reports.
In a news conference at IPN, IMAS director Doru Petrutsi said 95% of the respondents said they have at least one TV set at home. The TV is watched mainly by women and persons who do not work. The radio is mainly listened to in villages by elderly people. The Internet is mostly used by people aged between 18 and 25. These daily use the Internet for 175 minutes on average. Over 80% of the young people access general information on the Internet. 2/3 of the young people look for information through different portals, watch TV programs or listen to the radio on the Internet. The news websites in the Republic of Moldova are the most popular ones, being followed by Russian websites or those that broadcast information from the Russian Federation.
Of all the respondents, 35% are very satisfied with what is going on in the media sector, while 37% said they are rather satisfied. 3% of those polled consider the media outlets are fully independent, 12% said they are rather independent, while almost 60% consider the mass media are dependent. Half of the respondents said the mass media reflect more the interests of politicians, 15% the commercial interests of the owner, while 10% consider the mass media reflect the interests of the ordinary people. The people also believe that the mass media are used as an instrument that advantages or disadvantages a public person. Even so, the journalists are perceived as well-trained professionals. 49% consider the largest majority or all the journalists meet this criterion.
The poll also shows that the mass media in Moldova better satisfy the recreation and pleasure needs. The people watch mainly soap operas and films so as to evade the daily life. Between 46% to 72% of those surveyed said they have a TV program that they usually watch and wait for it and discuss it with relatives and friends. Over 90% of the respondents said they understand everything or almost everything if they watch a TV program in the Russian language. The Moldovans also like watching films and soap operas in Russian.
As to news programs and talk shows, over 50% of those polled prefer programs produced by national TV channels. The respondents choose the favorite channel depending on the language in which the programs are broadcast and prefer those in Russian. The educative content, the presenter and other aspects count less. During the week, the news programs are the most popular. On the weekend, the Moldovans prefer films and soaps.
The most popular TV channels are: Prime TV, Jurnal TV, RTR Moldova/Rossia and ProTV. Among the favorite radio stations are: Radio Noroc, Radio Moldova, Radio Plai and Hit FM.
Dumitru Tiara, executive director of the Association for Development and Cooperation, said that following investments made by foreign, retransmitted TV channels, these become more popular. The fact that the people prefer to watch TV programs in Russian shows that they like thinking in another language.
The poll covered a sample of 1,513 people aged over 18 from 96 communities. It was carried out during February 9 and March 4, 2018 with the support of Sweden and the United States.
