More than half of internet users polled in Germany (59%) use social media or messenger services to find out about political issues, a survey by the digital association Bitkom said on Thursday.
Among 16 to 29-year-olds, the proportion of those polled who learn about politics via the likes of X, formerly Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok is highest at 77%.
In the 30 to 49-year-old age range, 63% use social media for political information, while the figure is 58% among 50 to 64-year-olds.
Among those aged 65 and over, the proportion drops to 36%. Television, newspapers, radio and websites are among the other ways of consuming political news.
The most important platform among those who find out about politics via social media or messenger services is Facebook with 55% usage.
However, despite the high level of political interest among German internet users, politicians themselves are only the direct source of information or the starting point for political debate in exceptional cases, the survey said.
Only 11% of those who use social networks or messenger to find out about politics follow the profiles of individual politicians.
But Bitkom political expert Fabian Zacharias said that some politicians were already making exemplary use of the opportunities offered by social media.
"The most successful politicians are those who present themselves authentically and engage in open and honest communication with users," he said.
Bitkom - which represents more than 2,200 companies in the German digital economy - interviewed 1,005 people in Germany aged 16 and over by telephone in February, including 877 internet users.