State-run television is the principal source of news for a majority of young Russians, the independent Russian television channel Dozhd reported Friday.
Fifty-four percent of Russians aged between 18 and 24 watch government-funded Channel One news casts, Dozhd reported citing a poll produced by the independent Levada Center.
Channel One was the main source of information for 72 percent of respondents in all age groups, the poll published by Dozhd found, while just 26 percent said they never switch to television for the news.
Channel One was closely followed by other government funded broadcasters, Rossia-1, Rossia-24 and NTV.
The only semi-independent television channel to win a significant share of the audience, RBC, was watched by seven percent, the poll found.
Ahead of presidential elections in Russian next March, television is still the most influential platform in Russian political campaigns. More than 86 percent of Russians get their news from television, according to a study conducted by the independent pollster Levada Center in 2016.
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