The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung commissioned Spear Insights to run a nationally representative survey of Cambodian attitudes toward politics, media, and society. We used Cambodia's first RDD phone methodology — see Part 1 for how we designed it — to reach respondents across all five geographic regions: Phnom Penh, Plain, Plateau/Mountains, Tonle Sap, and Coastal.
The headline finding: 88% of Cambodians now use social media as their primary news source, up nine percentage points from 2020. Among 18–24 year-olds that figure hits 99%. Even the 55–64 age group jumped from 55% to 66% in just two years. TV sits at 29% and is declining. The shift is dramatic and it is not slowing down. Phnom Penh leads at 95% social media penetration, while the Plateau/Mountains region lags at 79% — largely due to poor internet connectivity.
Despite that media consumption, only about a third of respondents said they trust the media. Another third actively distrust it. The rest were undecided or declined to answer. That is a significant credibility gap in a country where nearly everyone is getting their information from social platforms.
On politics, the data revealed an interesting contradiction. Cambodians express strong intent to vote, but remain largely apathetic toward day-to-day political engagement. People care about outcomes — flooding, economic pressures, COVID-19 recovery — more than political process. Nineteen of Cambodia's 25 provinces were affected by flooding in the survey period, and respondents consistently ranked practical concerns above ideological ones.
On international relations, China is viewed as Cambodia's best foreign partner by a clear margin, followed by Japan, Thailand, and the United States. Most Cambodians reported knowing very little about the EU — notable given the EU's significant trade and development role in the country.
The full report is available from KAS.