KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 — A survey by the Merdeka Center, called the National Youth Survey, revealed that Instagram is the most popular social media platform among Malaysian youth, with 31 per cent of respondents favoring the app.
TikTok and Facebook tied for second place at 25 per cent, followed by YouTube (seven per cent), and Twitter, which had the lowest usage at just four per cent.
The survey, conducted between April 3 and May 12, 2024, involved 1,605 respondents aged 18 to 30, and was carried out via telephone interviews. It highlighted the dominance of the internet as the main source of information for young people, with 77 per cent of respondents relying on it for news and updates. Television came in second at 18 per cent, while only 2 per cent turned to radio or newspapers. Interestingly, 1 per cent of respondents said they do not follow the news at all.
A significant 91 per cent of respondents said they primarily use social media when online, with only 4 per cent turning to news portals, 3 per cent using search engines, and 2 per cent relying on messaging apps.
“Interestingly, many young people see Facebook as more of an encyclopedia or dictionary, rather than a social platform, to understand what’s happening in the country,” said Fadhil Rahman, senior research officer at Merdeka Center.
The survey also revealed that youth are more interested in local and regional issues, particularly those affecting their own communities, rather than national or international affairs. Male respondents, in particular, expressed concerns about issues impacting the Muslim community and the Asean region.
In terms of messaging apps, WhatsApp continues to be the most popular, used by 94 per cent of respondents, followed by Telegram (four per cent) and WeChat (1.4 per cent).
Video content dominates as the preferred form of media, with 32 per cent of respondents saying they consume videos the most, followed by images and social media posts (14 per cent), podcasts (10 per cent), and live streams (8 per cent).
The top five topics of interest were entertainment (17 per cent), politics (11 per cent), sports (10 per cent), education, and do-it-yourself (DIY) skills-related content, both at 9 per cent.
Of the respondents, 57 per cent identified as Malay, 21 per cent as Chinese, and 7 per cent as Indian. The age distribution was as follows: 20 per cent of respondents were aged 18-20, 41 per cent were between 21-24, and 39 per cent were between 25-30.
