BBC Survey on Trust Issues
The survey was intended to enhance our understanding of the public's beliefs and attitudes on a variety of subjects; in particular the trust they place in various organisations.
The survey was intended to enhance our understanding of the public's beliefs and attitudes on a variety of subjects; in particular the trust they place in various organisations.
The speech The Trouble With Trust: Building Confidence In Institutions given by Mark Thompson, BBC Director-General at QEII Centre, London, on Tuesday 15 January 2008 featured data from this survey.
Topline Results
- Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,070 adults aged 16+ in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- Interviews were carried out on the telephone between the 3rd and 6th January, 2008.
- Quotas were set to reflect the profile of the UK population.
- The data are weighted to the national socio-demographic profile.
- The figures quoted are percentages based on 1,070, unless stated otherwise.
- Where figures do not sum to 100 per cent, this may be due to computer rounding the decimal places up or down, to multiple responses or to the exclusion of "Don't know / Not stated" responses.
- An asterisk (*) denotes a figure of greater than zero but less than 0.5%.
Q1 On balance do you believe …
| % | |
|---|---|
| 1) Princess Diana's death was the result of … | |
| a) a conspiracy | 24 |
| b) an accident | 64 |
| Neither / don't know | 12 |
| 2) We are pulling our troops out of Basra, Iraq either because … | |
| a) there is little chance of our being successful in restoring peace to the area | 69 |
| b) we have successfully completed our mission there | 18 |
| Both / Neither / Don't know | 13 |
| 3) Climate change and global warming is … | |
| a) a natural phenomenon that happens from time to time | 42 |
| b) is the result of recent human and animal activity | 47 |
| Both / Neither / Don't know | 11 |
| 4) That the people behind the 9 / 11 tragedy were … | |
| a) American radicals | 6 |
| b) Foreign terrorists | 85 |
| Neither / Don't know | 9 |
| 5) That … | |
| a) evidence of UFO landings are being hidden from the public | 30 |
| b) that there have not been any UFO landings | 61 |
| Neither / Don't know | 8 |
Q2 For each of the following, please tell me which of these you believe in — or do not believe in?
| % believing in | |
|---|---|
| Ghosts | 42 |
| Life after Death | 50 |
| Witches and Wizards | 16 |
Q3-14 I am going to read out some statements and would like you to tell me whether, on balance, you agree or disagree with each. Firstly …
| Agree | Disagree | DK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |
| I'm worried about global warming | 69 | 30 | 1 |
| I tend to believe what my friends tell me | 35 | 63 | 2 |
| I think most people can be trusted | 54 | 45 | 1 |
| Most TV competitions involving voting are fixed | 62 | 32 | 5 |
| Britain accepts too many asylum seekers | 75 | 22 | 3 |
| I tend to believe what I see & hear on the TV & Radio | 33 | 65 | 2 |
| There should be the death penalty for certain kinds of murder | 66 | 32 | 2 |
| When journalists and interviewers challenge politicians and officials with tough questions they are more likely to get at the truth | 44 | 55 | 1 |
| I am more likely to trust / believe those politicians who concentrate more on explaining their own policies than those who concentrate more on attacking other politician's policies | 79 | 17 | 4 |
| I use energy efficient light bulbs in my home | 78 | 21 | 1 |
| In general, I tend to trust politicians | 16 | 83 | 1 |
Q14a Why do you not trust politicians?
| % | |
|---|---|
| "Lie / mislead / don't tell the truth" | 31 |
| "Don't keep their promises / don't do what they say they will do" | 22 |
| "Work for themselves / their own ends" | 17 |
| "Say what they want people to hear (to get votes)" | 12 |
| "Evasive / don't give straight answers / two-faced" | 10 |
| "Have their own agenda" | 7 |
| "Line their own pockets / corrupt" | 6 |
| "Only interested in power / own egos / conceited" | 5 |
| "Don't represent their constituents' views" | 5 |
Q15 I am going to read out a list of 7 organisations, and would like you to tell me which you trust the most? Which do you trust the next most?
| Most | Next most | Most / Next most | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |
| The BBC | 27 | 23 | 50 |
| The NHS | 27 | 20 | 47 |
| The Church of England | 18 | 18 | 36 |
| The Military | 14 | 15 | 29 |
| The Media in general | 4 | 10 | 14 |
| The Government | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Big British Companies | 3 | 6 | 9 |
Q16 Which you trust the least? Which do you trust the next least?
| Least | Next least | Least / next least | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | |
| The Government | 46 | 19 | 65 |
| The Media in general | 25 | 19 | 44 |
| Big British Companies | 12 | 23 | 35 |
| The NHS | 4 | 11 | 15 |
| The Church of England | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| The Military | 5 | 11 | 16 |
| The BBC | 2 | 5 | 7 |
Q17 In general, whose interests do you think MPs put first … those of …
| % | |
|---|---|
| Their own | 55 |
| Their Party's | 34 |
| Their constituents' | 6 |
| The Country's | 4 |
| Don't know | 1 |
Q18 Which of the following would you trust the government's advice on?
| % | |
|---|---|
| The effects of smoking | 77 |
| The dangers of speeding | 76 |
| The effects of alcohol or drugs | 72 |
| Protecting the environment | 52 |
| Your or your child's diet | 42 |
| The impact of immigration on the UK | 26 |
Q19 Which of the following did you vote in?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Last General Election | 68 |
| Last Series of X Factor | 10 |
| Last Series of Strictly Come Dancing | 9 |
Q20 Thinking of what influences and affects society and people's day to day lives in Britain today, which one of the following, if any, do you think has the most powerful influence? Which has the least powerful influence?
| Most | Least | |
|---|---|---|
| % | % | |
| TV and radio broadcasters | 34 | 5 |
| Celebrities | 25 | 24 |
| Newspapers | 21 | 7 |
| The Government | 10 | 14 |
| Big companies | 7 | 15 |
| Public officials or civil servants | 3 | 36 |
Q21 'To what extent do you trust … (regular station / channel) … to tell the truth? On balance do you trust it a great deal, trust it somewhat, a little or not trust it?
| Trust a great deal / somewhat | % |
|---|---|
| Radio 4 | 95 |
| Other BBC radio | 87 |
| BBC Two | 85 |
| Other BBC TV | 84 |
| BBC One | 83 |
| Local commercial / non BBC radio | 77 |
| Channel 4 | 74 |
| ITV | 66 |
| Five | 64 |
| National commercial / non BBC radio | 64 |
| Sky | 62 |
Q22 'To what extent do you trust … (paper read in past week or two) … to tell the truth? On balance do you trust it a great deal, trust it somewhat, a little or not trust it?
| Trust a great deal / somewhat | % |
|---|---|
| Daily + Sunday | |
| Guardian | 94 |
| Telegraph | 93 |
| Times | 89 |
| 67 | |
| Express | 62 |
| Mirror | 55 |
| News of the World | 31 |
| Sun | 29 |
Sample base too small for other newspapers
Q23 Which political party do you tend to support?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Conservative | 24 |
| Labour | 32 |
| Liberal Democrats (Lib Dem) | 9 |
| Scottish or Welsh Nationalists / Plaid Cymru | 1 |
| Green Party | 2 |
| UK Independence Party / UKIP | 1 |
| Other | 2 |
| None / undecided | 25 |
| Refused | 4 |
Q24 Do you regularly access any websites on the internet for information?
| % | |
|---|---|
| Yes | 53 |
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