Media in Poland 2022. How Poles Watch, Listen, Read, and Surf the Web

source: National Media Institute, analysis: Reporterzy.info, declarative data for the three months preceding the survey

The National Media Institute’s Establishment Survey provides insight into how and how often Poles use traditional and electronic media. Surveyors examined what devices people have at home and what they can access at work or school. The results are as follows:

• Access to TV: 92.0%
• Access to radio: 80.3%
• Access to a computer/tablet: 66.0%
• Access to a mobile phone/smartphone: 88.5%

However, access to a media device does not necessarily mean it is used regularly.

Television

In the 30 days preceding the survey, 90.2% of respondents reported watching television. This translates to 33.1 million Poles, but it’s only 96% of those with access to a TV. Conclusion: two million Poles could watch linear TV but choose not to.


In a longer, three-month period, 92.1% of respondents confirmed watching TV, equating to nearly 33.8 million people. Among age groups, those aged 65+ are the most frequent TV viewers.

• TV viewership by age group
• 4-9 years: 91.5%
• 10-15 years: 95.2%
• 16-24 years: 88.1%
• 25-34 years: 87.0%
• 35-44 years: 90.4%
• 45-54 years: 93.0%
• 55-64 years: 95.2%
• 65+ years: 95.9%

Radio

Radio listening was reported by 75.2% of respondents, meaning that 27.6 million people listened to the radio at least once in the past month. Among radio owners, nearly 8% did not turn on their device even once during the month before the survey.

In a three-month period, the number of radio listeners increases significantly, reaching 80.4% of the population, or 29.5 million people—1.9 million more than in the one-month period. Radio is least popular among teenagers and most popular among those aged 35-44.

• Radio listenership by age group
• 4-9 years: 71.7%
• 10-15 years: 65.7%
• 16-24 years: 78.5%
• 25-34 years: 83.5%
• 35-44 years: 85.9%
• 45-54 years: 84.4%
• 55-64 years: 82.4%
• 65+ years: 77.9%

Internet

At least 76.8% of respondents use the internet occasionally. In a monthly timeframe, internet users slightly outnumber radio listeners at 28.2 million. According to the National Media Institute, the devices used to access the internet include:

• 26.4 million mobile phone owners (93.9% of internet users)
• 23.6 million computer and tablet owners (83.8% of internet users)
• 15.8 million Smart TV owners (56.2% of internet users)

Over three months, the number of internet users grows by just 300,000, indicating that those who use the internet tend to do so regularly. Among those aged 10 to 50, almost everyone surfs the web. However, over a three-month period, internet usage slightly trails radio usage.

• Internet usage by age group
• 4-9 years: 77.6%
• 10-15 years: 98.6%
• 16-24 years: 99.1%
• 25-34 years: 99.1%
• 35-44 years: 96.5%
• 45-54 years: 89.0%
• 55-64 years: 68.3%
• 65+ years: 28.7%

Print Media

Reaching for newspapers or magazines at least once a quarter is reported by 65.7% of respondents, equating to 24 million readers. Nearly half of this group also reads online editions. Over 11.3 million people, or 31% of the population, read e-publications. The older the age group, the higher the popularity of print media, with readership reaching up to three-quarters among the oldest Poles.

• Print readership by age group
• 4-9 years: 24.6%
• 10-15 years: 45.3%
• 16-24 years: 65.0%
• 25-34 years: 64.9%
• 35-44 years: 69.4%
• 45-54 years: 73.7%
• 55-64 years: 75.3%
• 65+ years: 72.8%

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The National Media Institute’s Establishment Survey was conducted between July 2021 and March 2022 on a representative sample of 17,143 people aged 4 and older. Full results are available at https://kim.gov.pl/wyniki-badan/