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Latest YouGov survey: Half of Britons distrust the BBC

Saturday, 02 January 2021 6:58 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 02 January 2021 6:58 PM ]

The state broadcaster's popularity and trust levels is falling to dangerous levels prompting growing calls for a substantial reduction to the license fee

The British Broadcasting Corporation has been dealt a major blow at the dawn of the New Year as new research indicates nearly half of Britons distrust the state broadcaster.

The latest research, carried out by the polling organization YouGov, found that 48 percent of respondents believe the BBC does not “adequately represent” their views.

That figure rises to 51 percent in the north of England, indicating that beyond the affluent regions of southern England the BBC is deeply distrusted by the bulk of the UK population.

Furthermore, 47 percent of respondents in Scotland are “unhappy” with the BBC's coverage. That figure rises to 58 percent among Brexit supporters UK-wide.

The survey, conducted on behalf of The Times (January 02), discovers that only four percent of Britons think the BBC’s values resemble their own.

The latest findings come ahead of a much-anticipated review by the Tory government into public sector broadcasting.

It is widely believed that Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is supportive of major reforms to the BBC.

In the past 12 months more and more public voices have called for the license fee (the tax which funds the BBC) to be either scrapped or substantially reduced.

Opponents of the BBC received a shot in the arm in late 2019 after a survey showed that two-thirds of Britons want the state broadcaster’s annual £154.50 license fee to be either scrapped or reduced.