BBC Poll - Topline Findings

Wednesday 24 May 2000

• Poll conducted by MORI on behalf of the Daily Mail
• Results are based on interviews with 1,003 people aged 18+
• Interviews were conducted by telephone on 17-19 May 2000
• Based on all unless otherwise stated
• Data are weighted to reflect the known profile of the population
• Where results do not sum to 100, this may be due to multiple responses, computer rounding or the exclusion of don't knows/not stated
• An asterisk (*) represents a value of less than half of one per cent, but not zero
• Voting intention figures exclude those who would not vote, are undecided or refuse to name a party
• 1999 trend data based on MORI poll for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in April 1999: 1,051 UK residents aged 15+, interviewed face-to-face

Voting Intentions

QV1 How would you vote if there were a general election tomorrow?

If undecided or refused:

QV2 Which party are you most inclined to support?

	%
Conservative	33
Labour	46
Liberal Democrats	14
SNP/Plaid Cymru	2
Green Party	*
Other	2
Would not vote	12
Undecided	18
Refused	8

General Attitudes

Q1 Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the BBC?

	Apr 1999	May 2000
	%	%
Very satisfied	16	9
Fairly satisfied	54	59
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied	14	11
Fairly dissatisfied	10	18
Very dissatisfied	5	10
Don't know / No opinion	*	2

Q2 Overall, do you think that the quality of the BBC's programmes has improved, stayed the same or got worse over the last three years or so?

	%
Improved	15
Stayed the same	43
Got worse	39
Don't know	3

Q3 And overall, would you say the BBC is doing better or worse than ITV, or about the same?

	%
Better	23
Worse	26
About the same	47
Don't know	4

Q4-6 Thinking about the amount of television on BBC you personally watch these days, is this more, less or about the same as …

	…12 months ago	… five years ago	… ten years ago
	%	%	%
More	11	22	23
Less	44	50	44
Same	43	22	17
Don't know	2	6	16

Image

I am going to read out some statements about the BBC. For each one, please tell me whether you agree or disagree …

Q7 The BBC is out of touch with people like me

	Apr 1999	May 2000
	%	%
Strongly agree	10	21
Tend to agree	23	25
Neither	17	11
Tend to disagree	36	30
Strongly disagree	11	10
Don't know	2	2

Q8 The BBC licence fee, at £104 a year, provides good value for money

	Apr 1999*	May 2000
	%	%
Strongly agree	11	10
Tend to agree	34	22
Neither	12	5
Tend to disagree	23	22
Strongly disagree	19	39
Don't know	2	1

*Question wording did not include 'at £104 a year'

Licence Fee

Q9 As you know, the BBC is currently funded by the licence fee, and all households with a colour television pay an annual fee of £104. Which of the following best describes your view …

	%
The BBC should continue to be funded from the licence fee	35
The licence fee should be replaced with other sources of funding	56
Other	6
Don't know	4

Q10 If the licence fee system was replaced with other sources of funding, which, if any, of these would you support …

	%
Introduction of advertising on the BBC	43
Introduction of funding from central government	29
Introduction of programme sponsorship	37
Introduction of subscription charges like Sky	11
Other	1
None of these	5

Programmes

I am going to read out some types of television programme made by the BBC. For each one please tell whether you think there is too much, too little or about the right amount on BBC television …

Q11 Game shows

	%
Too much	38
Too little	12
About the right amount	40
Don't know / No opinion	10

Q12 News

	%
Too much	7
Too little	13
About the right amount	79
Don't know / No opinion	2

Q13 Current affairs

	%
Too much	11
Too little	19
About the right amount	62
Don't know / No opinion	8

Q14 Lifestyle programmes

	%
Too much	53
Too little	8
About the right amount	37
Don't know / No opinion	3

Q15 Films

	%
Too much	5
Too little	63
About the right amount	27
Don't know / No opinion	5

Q16 Drama

	%
Too much	6
Too little	34
About the right amount	54
Don't know / No opinion	5

Q17 Comedy programmes

	%
Too much	9
Too little	43
About the right amount	41
Don't know / No opinion	7

Q18 Soap operas

	%
Too much	45
Too little	6
About the right amount	41
Don't know / No opinion	9

Q19 Sport

	%
Too much	37
Too little	29
About the right amount	29
Don't know / No opinion	6

Q20 Generally speaking, do you think that the standards of the BBC's news and current affairs programmes have improved, stayed the same or got worse in recent years?

	%
Improved	42
Stayed the same	43
Got worse	12
Don't know / No opinion	3

Q21 Do you agree or disagree with the statement, "The BBC has not done enough to keep up with other companies such as ITV and Sky in its coverage of live sports events?"

	%
Strongly agree	35
Tend to agree	24
Neither	8
Tend to disagree	18
Strongly disagree	4
Don't know	11

Q22-24 Still thinking about programmes on the BBC, would you say there is too much, too little or about the right amount of the following …

	Sex	Violence	Bad language & swearing
	%	%	%
Too much	32	48	44
About the right amount	51	43	48
Too little	10	5	4
Don't know	7	4	5

Political

Q25 Do you think the BBC mainly supports or opposes the Labour Government, or neither particularly supports or opposes it?

	%
Mainly supports	17
Mainly opposes	7
Neither	57
Don't know	20

Q26 As you may know, the BBC has said that it does not intend to cover live the official tribute to mark the Queen Mother's 100th birthday. Do you think that the BBC should or should not have decided to not cover the official tribute in a live programme?

	%
Should	34
Should not	56
Don't know	9

Q27 Before this interview, were you aware or not that Greg Dyke, the Director General of the BBC, gave £50,000 to the Labour Party in the past?

	%
Yes, aware	27
No, not aware	72
Don't know	1

Q28 Do you think that Greg Dyke should or should not have been appointed as Director General of the BBC ?

	%
Should	24
Should not	30
Don't know	46

Q29 As you may know, the BBC has recently appointed Andrew Marr, the journalist, as its new political editor. In the past, Andrew Marr has written articles sympathetic towards the Labour Party and the Government. Recently, he has said that he will be impartial in his role as the BBC's political editor. Do you think that the BBC should or should not have appointed Andrew Marr as its new political editor?

	%
Should	36
Should not	36
Don't know	28

TV Demographics

Q30 Typically, would you say that you mainly watch BBC, mainly watch ITV or do you watch them about the same amount?

	%
Mainly BBC	28
Mainly ITV	21
About the same amount	49
Don't watch TV	1
Don't know	1

Q31 And which of these, if any, do you have …

	%
Digital TV	19
Satellite TV	9
Sky TV	16
Cable TV	17
None of these	56