LENS, the first technology-oriented Non-governmental Organization in Kosovo, presented on Tuesday in Prishtina the results of its research “Youth and Media” which was conducted during July and August 2013 in all countries of Eastern Europe.
The subject of the research were organizations and institutions dealing with youth and/or media, as well the youth itself. A major part of the research, including the sample of young people surveyed, was conducted through the internet. Findings from this research are a good starting point for debate on a subject that has been neglected in the whole region, especially in Kosovo.
“Youth and Media” is initiated by organizations Metamorphosis and YIEF from Skopje, and is funded by the Open Society Foundation in Macedonia, with the participation of organizations from Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey. The focus of this study was the approach towards media and its use by young people, the importance of media to them, as well as the creation of media content by young people.
Issues of media education and the identification of hate speech are also addressed in this study. The purpose of this research is to raise awareness on the importance of the relationship between youth and media, to encourage more detailed studies on this issue, and to initiate activities that would improve coverage of key topics for youth. The sample was composed of young people who use the internet more.
Statistics drawn from this research show that young Kosovars are well equipped with technology, though communication remains the main purpose of its use. Almost all (99.0%) have a TV in their homes, while 73.2% claim to watch TV every day.
Across the region, smart mobile phones are mostly present among young Kosovars (80.3%), while most of them (75.5%) use their mobile phone to log on the internet every day.
The results show that young people generally trust the media less; more than half of young people feel that the information presented in the media is untrue. A large number of them (65%) when seeking information take into account only the resources they trust, while most of them (80.5%) tend to compare information from several sources. A higher interest for news is noted, with 70.1% of respondents stating that they read news online every day and when it comes to ranking their favorite program, news come second after movies and they are followed by music in the third place. Topics covered by the media in which young people feel less involved and want more attention are politics, economics ë business, environment and health.