The Digital Services Act (DSA), which introduces harmonized rules for providers of digital intermediary services across the European Union, came into force on 17 February 2024. We investigated how well-informed citizens are not only in Czechia but also in eight other European countries (Slovakia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia) about this regulation. The findings from the international comparative survey, conducted in collaboration with Ipsos, are presented in the Espresso section.
International comparison shows that low awareness of the DSA is widespread. On average, only about one-fifth of the population is aware of the regulation. “Low awareness may be primarily due to the complexity of the topic, which does not always visibly affect people’s everyday lives, and to communication efforts that have targeted experts and tech companies rather than the general public,” explains Michal Kormaňák, political scientist and analyst at Ipsos.
Awareness of the DSA
The highest levels of awareness were reported in Hungary (28%), Finland (24%), and Germany (23%). “Hungarians show significantly higher awareness than other countries, likely due to public debate sparked by controversial steps taken by the Hungarian government during the implementation of the regulation, which drew criticism from EU institutions and independent organizations,” comments Ivan Ruta Cuker, sociologist and data analyst at CEDMO.
In terms of sociodemographic characteristics, information about the DSA was more frequently reported by men (25%) than women (16%), by young people under the age of 34 (25%), residents of larger cities (23%), individuals with a university education (25%), and frequent users of social media (20% among daily users, 23% among those who use it at least once a week).
Perceived Information Sufficiency about the DSA
Most respondents across Europe agree that they currently lack sufficient information about the DSA. On average, only 17% feel adequately informed. “The results also show that university-educated respondents are more likely to say they lack sufficient information. This may be because they are more aware of the complexity of the topic, the limits of their own knowledge, and are more inclined to reflect on their understanding or lack of access to necessary information,” adds Michal Kormaňák.
Knowledge of the domestic DSA Coordinator
On average across all surveyed countries, less than half of respondents (47%) were able to correctly identify the regulatory authority responsible for overseeing compliance with the DSA in their respective country. The highest proportion of correct answers was recorded in Slovenia, where more than two-thirds of respondents (68%) answered correctly. A majority also answered correctly in Finland (59%), Hungary (55%), France (54%), and Estonia (51%). Conversely, the lowest proportion of correct answers was observed in Slovakia, where only about a quarter of respondents (27%) answered correctly. Also at the lower end of the ranking were Germany (28%) and the Czech Republic (32%). The low level of identification of the coordinator in Slovakia, Germany, and the Czech Republic may again point to weaker or insufficient communication of this fact to the public.
Perception of Illegal Online Content
The survey also explored perceptions of the harmfulness of illegal online content. Women and older people generally rated all threats as more serious than the overall population. Among all listed threats, child pornography and online grooming were perceived as the most harmful, with 80–88% of respondents across countries considering them definitely dangerous. This type of content is considered negative significantly more often by respondents in Estonia and Germany.
In contrast, copyright infringement (41%) and the sale of banned or counterfeit goods (48%) were seen as the least harmful. Copyright infringement is least serious in Finland (23%) and the Czech Republic (31%), where the sale of counterfeit goods also received the lowest rating.
„Copyright infringement can often be downplayed and not seen as a direct threat to individuals, unlike physical violence or terrorism,“ says Ivan Ruta Cuker, adding: „In countries such as the Czech Republic, there may still be a certain cultural tolerance for digital piracy, which developed in the 1990s and early 2000s. The same may be true for the sale of counterfeit goods. Although it is an illegal activity, many people do not perceive it as highly harmful because the victim is seemingly just a big brand and not a specific individual.“
Three-quarters of the European population also perceive terrorist content very negatively, most notably in France (80%), but again in Estonia (79%) and Germany (77%). The high level of agreement on the most serious content reflects a broad social consensus and moral values across all countries.
Compared to other European countries, significantly fewer people in Finland consider hate speech on the internet to be dangerous, with only 41% of the Finnish population reporting this, while the European average is close to 60%. However, the Czech Republic (52%) and Estonia (50%) are also below average in this area. This result may be related to the strong tradition of freedom of expression in the Nordic countries. In the Czech Republic, as in Slovakia, perceptions may be influenced by historical experience with censorship, which may lead to a greater emphasis on freedom of expression.
Another threat, the illegal sale of animals, resonated more in France (64%), Germany (60%), and Hungary (60%). In France and Germany, there is a long-standing strong public awareness of animal protection and rights. Hungary, like Slovakia and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, is often identified as one of the main source countries for illegal animal trade, especially puppies. It is therefore likely that the Hungarian public is more sensitive to this issue because they encounter it directly in their neighbourhood and perceive it as a serious ethical and social problem.
The thematic report is available in the following language versions:
*CEDMO Tracking V4+5 is an international research project led by Charles University, focused on monitoring public attitudes across Europe towards changes in the normative environment of digital media and current societal issues such as generative artificial intelligence, information disorders, quality of life, and the evaluation of democracy. It also aims to map the development of these trends over time. The research is conducted in five waves, with a two-month interval, across nine European Union countries: Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, and France. The first wave took place from June 16 to July 11, 2025, involving 25,024 respondents.
The survey is funded through the National Recovery Plan — under the project titled MPO 60273/24/21300/21000 CEDMO 2.0 NPO.