A new BBC Media Action audience survey has revealed that while more people in Vanuatu want access to news and information, media coverage remains limited and many communities continue to face infrastructure challenges that affect how they receive news.

The findings were presented this week to media organizations in Port Vila.

The BBC survey aimed to understand how Ni-Vanuatu access information and how much they trust the media.

Project Director for BBC Media Action, Dipak Bhattarai, said the survey wanted to find out how people are getting their news.

Dipak Bhattarai stated:

“So Vanuatu people have shared that they want more content around news and they have shared that there is too much of news repetition. So media in Vanuatu wishes to apply new ways in ideas and meteorologies so that they can address the issues that people are telling. So this survey shows that although people are getting information on social media they still trust TV, radio and newspaper and they have said that they have more important in Pacific news to understand the context.”

President of the Media Association of Vanuatu (MAV), Charles Sumbe, said the survey is an important tool for media houses. He noted that misinformation highlighted in the report is a major concern for audiences and a call for accurate and verified information.

Charles Sumbe said:

“What I like about this survey is that it touches miscommunication which it is an important thing that helps us deal with what’s put out.”

The BBC survey also showed that some areas in Vanuatu still face major difficulties accessing information due to poor communication networks and infrastructure.

Dipak Bhattarai added:

“With our results it has shown that people in the remote areas don’t have trustworthy signals maybe because of weather etc so they can’t connect. So the mobile networks, radio, TV, social media is poor.”

He said authorities must make good use of the survey findings and take action to improve information flow across the country.

The six-month survey was carried out across several provinces including Shefa, Sanma, and Torba, interviewing more than 1,000 people. It found that while many Ni-Vanuatu access news online, radio and TV remain the most trusted sources of information—especially in rural areas.