"This report presents a rapid media consumption assessment in Central Asia. It tells the reader what information - and disinformation - Central Asians consume, as well as the reasons why they consume it. How do recent international and regional geo-political events impact their media choices and wha ... t sources do they come from? From the ongoing Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine to controversial domestic events in the region, including violent state response to protests and the unresolved border issues between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, this report examines the critical role of information and disinformation in shaping public awareness and response to such processes." (Abstract) more

"Social media (Instagram, Facebook, Telegram followed by Twitter) are the biggest information channels in general, but especially for youth, with preference for visual content (short videos, reels, pictures with quotes, little text). For example, in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan between 50% and 63% of l ... abour migrants and ethnic minorities report Instagram as their preferred information source. Labour migrants were the most covered vulnerable community among the three target groups of this study in all media across Central Asia during COVID-19. Only local media is reported to have, occasionally, addressed refugee and stateless persons and ethnic or other minority groups. High levels of Internet restrictions on information access are reported among vulnerable communities. At times, this correlates with Internet access, depending on connection strength. In many other cases, it however refers to blocked websites and censors hip directly imposed by governments. Thirty-six percent of refugees and stateless persons reported Internet restrictions, while the figure for ethnic minorities in Tajikistan is 50% and 56% in Kazakhstan [...] There is a strong tendency among media consumers to consider online media as a source of fake news. The survey data as well as in-depth interviews suggest that the trust in traditional media, such as television and radio, correlates with distrust in online media. On the other side, it is clear that a similarly large group of respondents distrust television and radio, primarily because these two types of media are associated with government control. International media is cited as more reliable and accurate for COVID-19-related news compared to local news, as there is a lack of credible, independent and financially sustainable local media, particularly targeting vulnerable communities." (Executive summary, page 2) more