A large-scale “National Study of Media Consumption in Uzbekistan” is launching in Uzbekistan.

The Mass Media Foundation, in collaboration with the Delegation of the European Union to Uzbekistan and the Center for the Production of Content for Mass Media under the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, is launching a major project titled the “National Study of Media Consumption in Uzbekistan.” This initiative is designed to systematically study the population's information-gathering habits, identify levels of trust in various sources, and assess the quality of national media content.

Why this study is important

Uzbekistan’s media landscape has undergone significant changes since reforms began in 2016. Thanks to the conditions created in the country, the press has strengthened its position in society, and information has become more accessible due to the development of information technology and the arrival of the internet in Uzbekistan's regions.

Along with this, large-scale digitalization, the development of artificial intelligence technologies, and the replacement of official media as the primary source of information by social pages have fundamentally changed the rules of the media sphere.

All these processes prompt a closer look at the specifics of how the population consumes media content — namely, which channels the Uzbekistani audience prefers for receiving information.

The study's data will help national media outlets improve their business operations, more effectively allocate human resources within the editorial office, and identify points for content diversification. Advertisers, in turn, will be able to pinpoint the most effective channels for their campaigns.

The findings of the study are also important for other players in the media sphere, including government agencies responsible for developing media literacy programs, international organizations, and technology companies.

Project Phases and Research Methodology

The project will be completed by the end of 2026 and will consist of two stages. The first stage is the research itself, the results of which will be used to prepare and present the National Study of Media Consumption in Uzbekistan to the general public.

Data for the project will be collected through face-to-face interviews with respondents across all regions of Uzbekistan, including rural areas, based on a random sample. The study will analyze content consumption by source (television, radio, print, and digital media), gender, age, and so on.

The field research will be conducted by the Republican Center for the Study of Public Opinion “Ijtimoiy Fikr.”

In the second stage of the project, drawing on the collected research data, the organizers will conduct a series of training seminars and awareness campaigns in the regions of Uzbekistan for journalists, young people, and the press services of government agencies.