Perceptions of bias in TV political coverage
Trends 1988-1997
BBC
Q. Thinking about BBC television coverage, do you think this is biased towards the Conservatives' point of view, Labour's point of view or some other party's point of view, or do you feel their coverage is unbiased?
| 1988 | November 1991 | 20-24 March 1992 | 23-24 April 1997 | 25-28 April 1997 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | |
| Biased to Conservative | 19 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 13 |
| Biased to Labour | 7 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| Biased to some other party | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Unbiased | 58 | 56 | 56 | 54 | 58 |
| Don't know | 15 | 13 | 18 | 25 | 20 |
ITV
Q. And thinking about independent television coverage, that is ITV and Channel 4, do you think this is biased towards the Conservatives' point of view, or towards Labour's point of view, or some other party's point of view, or do you feel their coverage is unbiased?
| 1988 | November 1991 | 20-24 March 1992 | 23-24 April 1997 | 25-28 April 1997 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | |
| Biased to Conservative | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Biased to Labour | 7 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Biased to some other party | 1 | 1 | * | 1 | 1 |
| Unbiased | 67 | 66 | 62 | 54 | 63 |
| Don't know | 18 | 16 | 25 | 35 | 25 |
