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In Panama, information abundance coexists with fragile media trust. This study described news-consumption habits, trust in traditional media and social networks, disinformation experiences, and the association between age group and general trust. Integrated communication served as a relational framework through indicators of access, trust, perceived independence, exposure to false content, and verification; no index was constructed. A 15-item closed-ended survey was administered to a convenience sample of 150 adults, divided into three groups of 50: 18–30 years, 31–50 years, and 51 years or older. Eighty-five percent consumed news daily or several times a week; 46% mainly used social networks and 55% reported low or very low trust in them. For traditional media, 42% reported medium trust, 35% low or very low trust, and 23% high or very high trust. In addition, 72% perceived political or economic influence, 88% had identified false information, and 41% always or almost always verified information before sharing. Age and trust were significantly associated, with a low effect magnitude, ?²(2, N = 150) = 6.85, p = .033, V = .214. Findings describe the sample and do not support national generalization or causal inference.
