reporting
Survey: Majority feels unrepresented by media
A survey shows: The majority of Germans do not find themselves reflected in German media reporting. The feeling is particularly strong in two groups.
It is the sign of a loss of trust. According to a representative survey by the digital platform According to Readly, six out of ten Germans feel that they are not represented or not represented at all in the media coverage in this country. In East Germany there are even more: Here, 70 percent of those surveyed said they did not see themselves represented in the media. Only one in ten people have the impression that their positions are featured in the reporting.
Living environment plays a role in the survey
The feeling of non-representation is particularly high in two groups: AfD supporters and students. To the question “Find yourself as a person in the reporting German media again?” 90 percent of AfD sympathizers answered with a clear no. FDP supporters felt they were best represented (30.6 percent answered yes), followed by Green Party supporters (27.7 percent).
Three quarters of students said they did not feel represented. However, there were hardly any differences between the genders nationwide. Men found themselves slightly less likely to be represented in the media (64.2 percent) than women (59.6 percent).
It is also striking: the lower the population density in their own living area, the less people feel represented. In metropolitan areas, slightly more than one in two respondents felt that they were not represented in the reporting. In comparison, in very sparsely populated areas it was 68 percent.
This is how you could regain trust
“If nine out of ten people do not see themselves in the media, that is a signal that we have to take seriously,” said the managing director of Readly Germany, Marie-Sophie von Bibra. She believes it is necessary to strengthen regional and local reporting: “Representation is not a question of quota, but of attitude and a clear mandate to bring regional voices and realities of life back into focus.”
The representative online survey was carried out from July 23rd to July 25th, 2025 by the opinion research institute Civey on behalf of Readly. 2,500 people in Germany were surveyed. Multiple answers were possible.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
