Trust in digital health information in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland
Abstract
Background: While digital platforms have become central sources of health information, important questions remain regarding how much users trust different sources, and if differences in preferences exist among countries.
Methods: We conducted representative online surveys in Austria (AT), Germany (DE), and Switzerland (CH) between summer and autumn 2025. Inhabitants ≥15 years were invited to participate. Surveys were done in German and, in CH, also in French and Italian. A total of 6091 participants (AT: 2089, DE: 2002, CH: 2000) completed the questionnaire. This analysis describes the trust of participants in health information consumed via different online sources and potential regrets about health decisions taken based on these.
Results: In all three countries, rankings for trust per source were identical with highest trust expressed for health information portals (rated as rather trustworthy or trustworthy; AT: 94%, DE: 94%, CH: 92%), and lowest for social media (AT: 38%, DE: 23%, CH: 38%). The same pattern was visible regarding regrets, where social media inflicted the highest rates of regretted health decisions (rated as yes; AT: 17%, DE: 11%, CH: 20%), and websites of acknowledged health information portals the lowest (AT: 8%, DE: 3%, CH: 12%). Regression modelling of the data from all 3 countries revealed that frequent use (Odds ratio [OR] = 1.9, 95%CI = 1.4-2.5), male gender (1.4, 1.1-1.8), and low educational level (1.9, 1.3-2.8) significantly increased the likelihood of reporting regret on a health decision taken based on social media.
Conclusions: While the pattern in trust and regret is largely similar across AT, DE, and CH, the share of participants having experienced regret regarding a health decision taken from digital health information is surprisingly high, especially from social media content. These findings highlight the need to strengthen critical digital health literacy and to improve the quality and trustworthiness of digital health information.
Key messages: • The ≥15 year old population in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland expressed highest trust in digital health information from health information portals, and lowest in information from social media.
• While patterns are largely similar across countries, the share of participants having experienced regret regarding a health decision taken from digital health information is surprisingly high.
Related
- Digital health information use in Austria, Germany & Switzerland: evidence for the InfoCure project
- PAIS treatment disparities and medication-cost strain in Austria, Germany and Switzerland
- Tobacco and alcohol use in Germany: a cross-sectional study about associations with the self-reported ability to find, understand and judge health information
- Evidence standards of permanently listed digital health applications in Germany
- When Visual Consistency Persuades: Multimodal Congruence, Health Risk, and Health Information Engagement in Digital Media
BibTeX
@article{gani2026trust,
title = {{Trust in digital health information in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland}},
author = {SM De Gani and D Kohlbrenner and R Griebler and F Saxinger and M Nitsch and E Flaschberger and D Schütze and I Münch and S Schmidt-Kaehler and E Alder and F Gille},
journal = {The European Journal of Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.793},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.793},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Trust in digital health information in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland
AU - SM De Gani
AU - D Kohlbrenner
AU - R Griebler
AU - F Saxinger
AU - M Nitsch
AU - E Flaschberger
AU - D Schütze
AU - I Münch
AU - S Schmidt-Kaehler
AU - E Alder
AU - F Gille
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - The European Journal of Public Health
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.793
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.793
AB - Background: While digital platforms have become central sources of health information, important questions remain regarding how much users trust different sources, and if differences in preferences exist among countries. Methods: We conducted representative online surveys in Austria (AT), Germany (DE), and Switzerland (CH) between summer and autumn 2025. Inhabitants ≥15 years were invited to participate. Surveys were done in German and, in CH, also in French and Italian. A total of 6091 participants (AT: 2089, DE: 2002, CH: 2000) completed the questionnaire. This analysis describes the trust of participants in health information consumed via different online sources and potential regrets about health decisions taken based on these. Results: In all three countries, rankings for trust per source were identical with highest trust expressed for health information portals (rated as rather trustworthy or trustworthy; AT: 94%, DE: 94%, CH: 92%), and lowest for social media (AT: 38%, DE: 23%, CH: 38%). The same pattern was visible regarding regrets, where social media inflicted the highest rates of regretted health decisions (rated as yes; AT: 17%, DE: 11%, CH: 20%), and websites of acknowledged health information portals the lowest (AT: 8%, DE: 3%, CH: 12%). Regression modelling of the data from all 3 countries revealed that frequent use (Odds ratio [OR] = 1.9, 95%CI = 1.4-2.5), male gender (1.4, 1.1-1.8), and low educational level (1.9, 1.3-2.8) significantly increased the likelihood of reporting regret on a health decision taken based on social media. Conclusions: While the pattern in trust and regret is largely similar across AT, DE, and CH, the share of participants having experienced regret regarding a health decision taken from digital health information is surprisingly high, especially from social media content. These findings highlight the need to strengthen critical digital health literacy and to improve the quality and trustworthiness of digital health information. Key messages: • The ≥15 year old population in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland expressed highest trust in digital health information from health information portals, and lowest in information from social media. • While patterns are largely similar across countries, the share of participants having experienced regret regarding a health decision taken from digital health information is surprisingly high.
SN - 1101-1262
SN - 1464-360X
ER -