This paper reports the results of the 2022 Nationwide Public Opinion Survey on Attitudes Towards Media. The 2022 survey finds more than 70% of respondents viewed TV programs (real-time viewing) “almost every day,” but the figures have been declining since 2020, notably with a significant decline from 63% (2020) to 40% (2022) for those aged 16 through 29. In this age group, more people accessed YouTube and social media every day than television. Daily use of YouTube and social media has expanded beyond the young generation. As for media’s usefulness, in terms of “knowing what’s happening in the world,” television was appreciated by 59% of the entire respondents, which is overwhelmingly higher than for other media. For the respondents overall, those thinking the utility of “knowing what’s happening in the world” is “very important” accounted for 62%, which was the highest among other utilities, but for those aged 16 through 29, only fewer than half (42%) did so, with “to be moved and entertained” (59%) and “to acquire information about daily lives and pastimes” (51%) marking higher. This age group also appreciated YouTube for emotional experiences, entertainment, and the acquisition of information about daily lives or pastimes, and social media for the acquisition of information about daily lives or pastimes. As to the relations between media usage and attitudes, the younger the more they tended to view the same types of TV programs or online videos, which was attributed to their proactive attitudes towards things and activities they were fond of. This tendency was also associated with their preference for similar thoughts to their own. Another finding was that many respondents considered that the more frequently they used certain media, the more they felt that the media had influence on them. Also, those feeling “information supported by many people is trustworthy” and “I get embarrassed if there is information that my colleagues, friends, or acquaintances know but I don’t,” were more likely to think that media had influence on them than those who did not feel in this way.

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The NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute has been annually conducting a public opinion survey on COVID-19 since 2020. The third survey was held in 2022, from which the findings on uneasiness and stresses caused by the spread of the infection were presented in the 2023 May issue of “The NHK Monthly Report on Broadcast Research.” This following report features the findings on anti-coronavirus measures, digitalization, and what was brought about by the pandemic. The key findings are as follows. The results presented here are as of when the 2022 survey conducted. Those who “appreciate” the government’s anti-coronavirus measures accounts for 55%, which is higher than those who “do not appreciate” (44%), but those citing “do not appreciate” have increased compared to the previous survey. As to that personal freedom was restricted due to infection-control measures, 20% found it “unacceptable,” which is higher than in the previous survey. In terms of what needs to be focused on now, “recovery of economic activities” is cited by 60% of the respondents, significantly outscoring 39% for “infection-control measures.” Despite the fact that various procedures and activities have become available online because of the COVID-19 pandemic, only 22% have experienced working online, with nearly 70% saying they have never worked online. In addition, office workers, managers and other commonly known as white collar people—have higher percentage of those having worked online, and online working is commonly employed by those living in major cities with high incomes. Meanwhile, in relation to the growing trend towards going online, around 70 to 80% of respondents are concerned about personal data being leaked or acquired by others. As to the impact of pandemic that continued for three years, while many people (74%) cite that negative aspects were larger than positive ones, a certain number of people perceiving it positively, saying “time spent with family has increased,” “I can work flexibly now, including work from home,” and “I found enjoyment in different types of things than I did before the pandemic.”

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What are the challenges public broadcasters around the world are facing today as they make their digital transition to expand their service beyond traditional broadcasting? What roles do they deem essential for them to take on in the changing information ecosystem? We interviewed six representatives of public service media who attended the Public Broadcasters International (PBI) annual meeting held in November 2022 in Tokyo, to learn from their insights. The last installment of this series features interviews with Catherine Tait, President and CEO of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC/Radio-Canada), and Petr Dvořák, Director-General of Czech Television (Česká televize, ČT). CBC/Radio-Canada president Tait named the decline in trust as the most urgent issue, pointing to disinformation propagated by social media as its main cause. To counter disinformation, she said CBC/Radio-Canada is taking part in international collaborations, producing online and television shows to explain to the public what's false and what's true, and working to strengthen people’s media literacy. Ms. Tait also stressed the need for media organizations to explain the process of journalism and ensure transparency to gain trust. She said the benefit of public funding allows public service media not to chase numbers but to go deeper in their reporting, to be ready to take risks to push societies forward, and to bring to light true stories of history to share and generate conversations. ČT’s Dvořák considers the three main issues crucial to all public service media are: independence, stable and sustainable funding, and staying apace with the evolution of media landscape. He sees public service media which provides information that can be trusted, free and independent of political and commercial interests, as an anchor for the people and a pillar of democracy. According to Mr. Dvořák, approximately 90% of ČT’s budget consists of license fees which has remained unchanged for 14 years. The financial restrictions combined with the jump in inflation compelled ČT to reduce its service in the past year. Still, he says that the license fees system is vital in connecting people directly with the service provider and that household license fee contributions demonstrate how people understand and appreciate the value of ČT’s service.

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