Survey on Consumer Awareness of Media Coverage for Products, Services, and Companies: 500-Person Poll by Gender

Emfro Corporation (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Yosinori Kitawaki) conducted a survey titled 'Survey on Consumer Awareness of Media Coverage for Products, Services, and Companies' targeting 500 individuals with online purchasing experience, and has ranked the results.

When choosing a product or service, do you pay attention to whether it has been featured in media such as television or magazines?

With online shopping becoming the norm—often without seeing the actual product—and with both products and information overflowing, having been featured in a 'trusted media outlet' has become one of the key indicators for judging a product's reliability.

This time, Craudia Media Citation Support Service, operated by Emfro Corporation (https://craudia-citation.com/), conducted a questionnaire survey of 500 people with online purchasing experience regarding 'media coverage records of products, services, or companies,' summarizing the results in ranking format.

Commentary on the survey results was provided by Takehisa Inoue, Representative of Inoue Strategic PR Consulting.

【Request for Data Citation and Reproduction】

When using the survey results or images from this press release, please ensure to include a link to the detailed survey page (https://craudia-citation.com/column/5601).

【Survey Overview】

Target Audience: Individuals with experience purchasing online

Survey Period: January 14–15, 2026

Survey Organization: In-house survey

Survey Method: Internet-based voluntary responses

Valid Responses: 500 people (317 women / 183 men)

Respondent Age Distribution: Teens 1.8% / 20s 19.0% / 30s 29.4% / 40s 28.2% / 50s 16.2% / 60+ 5.4%

【Survey Results Summary】

・65.0% of respondents check media coverage records for products, services, or companies

・The most trusted media outlet for both men and women is 'Television'

・60.6% pay attention to the 'timing' of media coverage

・55.8% care about the 'number of features' in media

・68.0% have made a purchase or application due to media coverage

65.0% Check Media Coverage Records

When asked whether they check media coverage records for products, services, or companies, 9.6% said 'almost always check' and 55.4% said 'have checked before,' totaling 65.0%.

By gender, the results were as follows:

Among men, 'almost always check' (10.4%) and 'have checked before' (62.3%) combined to 72.3%. This suggests that men are relatively more inclined to verify popularity and performance through media coverage.

Among women, the combined total was 60.6% (9.1% 'almost always' and 51.5% 'have checked'), over 11 percentage points lower than men, with nearly 40% saying they 'have never checked.'

This indicates that men tend to place greater importance on 'third-party evaluations' and 'social validation' when making decisions.

Which Media Do Men Trust Most?

When asked about trusted media outlets, men ranked 'Television' first (40.4%), followed closely by 'Major Websites' (27.9%) and 'Newspapers' (27.3%).

Despite the prevalence of online media, there is a noticeable trend of valuing traditional 'old media' like television and newspapers for their reliability.

Even when using the internet, many people now carefully evaluate the source and publisher—such as 'major websites' or 'information shared by trusted influencers.'

<1st Place: Television>

・Being featured on TV provides a sense of security. I assume that if there were any issues, the product wouldn't be featured in the first place. (Male, 30s)

・Because it's delivered by announcers I recognize. (Male, 50s)

The trust in television stems from the perception that 'major media like TV don't feature just anything.' There's a sense of security knowing that many people review content before broadcast, preventing problematic items from airing.

Especially national TV networks, with their large organizations and significant social influence, are expected to have rigorous review systems.

Additionally, long-standing familiarity and trust in certain announcers and programs contribute to the belief: 'If this person says it' or 'If this program features it,' it must be trustworthy.

<2nd Place: Major Websites>

・Because they're seen by many people, it's hard to spread lies easily. (Male, 30s)

・I don't trust TV or online news much. (Male, 40s)

The credibility of major websites comes from their wide visibility. With many viewers, there's reassurance that 'if there's misinformation, it will be quickly pointed out' and 'blatant lies can't be sustained.' There's also brand-level trust due to their scale, implying solid operations and review systems.

Some people, distrustful of traditional media like TV and newspapers, turn to major websites as alternatives. For them, 'review sites collecting personal experiences' or 'comparison sites ranking products based on actual use' appear more neutral.

<3rd Place: Newspapers>

・They seem the most serious and credible among media. (Male, 40s)

・I think they're less influenced by sponsors compared to TV. (Male, 50s)

・Their reporting is thorough. (Male, 60+)

Newspapers are perceived as fact-focused, with a reputation for writing articles based on solid reporting. This seriousness and rigor earn trust.

Some who are wary of the commercial nature of TV and online media believe newspapers are less susceptible to sponsor influence.

<4th Place: Online News>

・Trust in TV and newspapers has declined recently, so I find online media relatively more reliable. (Male, 30s)

・I often learn about products via online news, then research further myself, and frequently find the information accurate. (Male, 40s)

Online news includes articles and videos delivered via the internet.

For example, news portals aggregate content from various providers, allowing cross-checking across multiple outlets. Some companies and news media also independently produce and distribute news programs or articles online.

Many respondents chose online news 'because traditional media aren't trustworthy,' making it a relative alternative.

However, news on portals is often provided by 'TV stations,' 'newspapers,' 'publishers,' 'web media,' or 'general companies'—meaning the original sources are often still traditional media. If media credibility matters,