LOCAL press in print and digital is the most trusted source for news and information, way ahead of search engines and social media, according to new YouGov research.

Commissioned by Local Media Works, the research found that local newspapers in print and digital are more than three times more trusted for local news and information than social media platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn.

Local newspapers, which are read by 42 million British adults in print and digital, scored highest for trust with 74 per cent of respondents agreeing that they trusted the news and information in their paper.

Local papers are the most trusted of all the other sources, coming ahead of local commercial TV and radio (both 73 per cent), search engines (43 per cent), social media (22 per cent) and other websites (39 per cent).

Craig Nayman, Local Media Works chairman, said: “This survey provides yet more compelling evidence of a resurgence of trust in traditional media outlets, with local media leading the way, as the public become increasingly aware of the dangers associated with social platforms and fake news.

“In the current climate, trust is at a premium and advertisers large and small must recognise the clear advantages of partnering with local media in order to communicate with their audiences in a safe, trusted, and highly effective environment.”

Justin Marshall, from YouGov, said: “As shown in the data from this research, trust in social media as a source of news is particularly low, followed by general internet searches, whereas trust in established news brands is far greater.”

More than 2,000 people took part in the poll.