findings Understanding Trust And Influence: Key Findings • The sources of information people in Mon State trust the most are friends and family, Nay Pyi Daw Myanmar Radio National Service, MRTV, and Shwe FM. • Several factors underlie decisions about trust. Respondents had a high degree of trust in news from a familiar source, news presented with video or photographs, news spread by word of mouth, and news shared by elders and local authorities. • The newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations that are trusted by the most people in Mon State are all government-owned. The most trusted media sources in Mon State are also the ones that have the greatest reach and coverage. These stations are Nay Pyi Daw Myanmar National Radio Service (trusted by 94% of users), MRTV (91%), and the newspapers Kyaymon (76%) and Myanmar Ahlin (73%). • Trust in government news sources appears to be increasing due to reforms that have enabled government media to be more open. Another primary reason, however, is the belief among many respondents that foreign reporting of the July 2012 conflict between Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine State was biased and discriminatory towards Buddhists. These respondents noted that reporting by government media was more fair, and as a result, they have begun to trust foreign media much less than before. • Despite this, respondents repeatedly expressed that they did not trust any news source completely. Instead, most respondents felt the need to always validate information against other sources. A common theme was that triangulation was essential prior to fully trusting any information or passing such information on to others. • Trust in foreign vs. domestic new sources is changing. 46% of respondents said they trust information from news sources inside Myanmar more than three years ago. In general, 81% of all respondents said they trust information from sources inside Myanmar more than foreign sources. use of media and technology Interpreting the Key Findings For those readers interested in detailed data analysis, additional research findings for each section are provided and illustrated in the companion second half of this report which is entitled Part Two – Additional Data Analysis. ∞∞ ∞∞ ∞∞ ∞∞ ∞∞ ∞∞ ∞∞ ∞∞ Use of Media and Technology Electricity Availability Mobile Phones Internet Television Radio Print Media Information Flows A villager pays to use a phone in a home shop - Mawlamyine , YOGO Village. 22 INFORMATION ECOSYSTEMS in transition: a case study from myanmar part one: rese arch findings 23 how to inform, empower, and impact communities INFORMATION ECOSYSTEMS in transition: a case study from myanmar how to inform, empower, and impact communities PART ONE: RESEARCH FINDINGS