London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Dec 06, 2025

Most Brits want to change how the BBC is funded

Most Brits want to change how the BBC is funded

Bad news for the BBC: The broadcaster is not the United Kingdom's most trusted news source, and two-thirds of Britons want to change how it's funded.

A survey released Saturday show that 69% of Brits trust the BBC to deliver impartial and accurate television news. That's less than the 73% of people who trust rival TV source ITV News, but more than the 55% who place their faith in Comcast-owned broadcaster Sky News.

The survey of more than 2,000 people, which was conducted by Savanta ComRes for the Christian Communications Partnership, also reveals that 67% of respondents support scrapping or substantially reforming the fee system that provides the BBC with most of its funding.

The survey was conducted following a bruising general election campaign in which the BBC faced accusations of bias from both main UK political parties. Election winner Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suggested he could scrap the license fee that funds the network's entertainment programs and supports its 2,000 journalists around the world.

The £154.50 ($202) annual fee is paid by all Brits who watch or stream live TV. Last year, the BBC received more than £3.8 billion ($5 billion) from the tax, accounting for about 75% of its budget.

Speaking at a campaign stop before the December 12 vote, Johnson said "you have to ask yourself whether that kind of approach to funding a TV, a media organization still makes sense in the long term."

Following the election, Treasury official Rishi Sunak confirmed that Johnson had ordered a review of the license fee. One question is whether Brits who fail to pay the fee should continue to face legal action.

"The general election showed that trust is at a premium but also that the BBC no longer has a monopoly on it," Andrew Hawkins, chairman of polling company Savanta ComRes, said in a statement.

A BBC spokesperson said in response to the survey that research shows that the public values the BBC, and that license fee is the most popular method of funding the BBC.

"This poll appears to have asked people whether they'd like the license fee scrapped or reformed without explaining that would mean losing programmes and services they love," the spokesperson said.


Who is trusted?

UK broadcasters, which are legally required to remain impartial, have a significant trust advantage over the country's newspapers.

Some 55% of survey respondents said they are more likely to trust news coverage from broadcasters than websites and newspapers, which are not bound by the same rules. Only 5% said they were less likely to trust broadcasters than websites and newspapers.

More than half of Brits said they trust newspapers "not at all" or "not very much."

Sixty percent of respondents said television is their number one source of news, with that share rising to 79% of people over 55 years of age.

But younger people have different habits. Only 39% of those aged 18-34 said television was their main source of news, whereas 60% said they get most of their news from social media.

Hawkins said the results point to a "major shake-up" of how news is delivered.

"Somehow the broadcasters and regulators will need to find a way of enabling the sector to evolve while maintaining trust in the integrity of news delivery," he said.

The online survey of 2,018 adults was conducted between December 18 and December 20.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK data-regulator demands urgent clarity on racial bias in police facial-recognition systems
Labour Uses Biscuits to Explain UK Debt — MPs Lean Into Social Media to Reach New Audiences
German President Lays Wreath at Coventry as UK-Germany Reaffirm Unity Against Russia’s Threat
UK Inquiry Finds Putin ‘Morally Responsible’ for 2018 Novichok Death — London Imposes Broad Sanctions on GRU
India backs down on plan to mandate government “Sanchar Saathi” app on all smartphones
King Charles Welcomes German President Steinmeier to UK in First State Visit by Berlin in 27 Years
UK Plans Major Cutback to Jury Trials as Crown Court Backlog Nears 80,000
UK Government to Significantly Limit Jury Trials in England and Wales
U.S. and U.K. Seal Drug-Pricing Deal: Britain Agrees to Pay More, U.S. Lifts Tariffs
UK Postpones Decision Yet Again on China’s Proposed Mega-Embassy in London
Head of UK Budget Watchdog Resigns After Premature Leak of Reeves’ Budget Report
Car-sharing giant Zipcar to exit UK market by end of 2025
Reports of Widespread Drone Deployment Raise Privacy and Security Questions in the UK
UK Signals Security Concerns Over China While Pursuing Stronger Trade Links
Google warns of AI “irrationality” just as Gemini 3 launch rattles markets
Top Consultancies Freeze Starting Salaries as AI Threatens ‘Pyramid’ Model
Macron Says Washington Pressuring EU to Delay Enforcement of Digital-Regulation Probes Against Meta, TikTok and X
UK’s DragonFire Laser Downs High-Speed Drones as £316m Deal Speeds Naval Deployment
UK Chancellor Rejects Claims She Misled Public on Fiscal Outlook Ahead of Budget
Starmer Defends Autumn Budget as Finance Chief Faces Accusations of Misleading Public Finances
EU Firms Struggle with 3,000-Hour Paperwork Load — While Automakers Fear De Facto 2030 Petrol Car Ban
White House launches ‘Hall of Shame’ site to publicly condemn media outlets for alleged bias
UK Budget’s New EV Mileage Tax Undercuts Case for Plug-In Hybrids
UK Government Launches National Inquiry into ‘Grooming Gangs’ After US Warning and Rising Public Outcry
Taylor Swift Extends U.K. Chart Reign as ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ Hits Six Weeks at No. 1
250 Still Missing in the Massive Fire, 94 Killed. One Day After the Disaster: Survivor Rescued on the 16th Floor
Trump: National Guard Soldier Who Was Shot in Washington Has Died; Second Soldier Fighting for His Life
UK Chancellor Reeves Defends Tax Rises as Essential to Reduce Child Poverty and Stabilise Public Finances
No Evidence Found for Claim That UK Schools Are Shifting to Teaching American English
European Powers Urge Israel to Halt West Bank Settler Violence Amid Surge in Attacks
"I Would Have Given Her a Kidney": She Lent Bezos’s Ex-Wife $1,000 — and Received Millions in Return
European States Approve First-ever Military-Grade Surveillance Network via ESA
UK to Slash Key Pension Tax Perk, Targeting High Earners Under New Budget
UK Government Announces £150 Annual Cut to Household Energy Bills Through Levy Reforms
UK Court Hears Challenge to Ban on Palestine Action as Critics Decry Heavy-Handed Measures
Investors Rush Into UK Gilts and Sterling After Budget Eases Fiscal Concerns
UK to Raise Online Betting Taxes by £1.1 Billion Under New Budget — Firms Warn of Fallout
Lamine Yamal? The ‘Heir to Messi’ Lost to Barcelona — and the Kingdom Is in a Frenzy
Warner Music Group Drops Suit Against Suno, Launches Licensed AI-Music Deal
HP to Cut up to 6,000 Jobs Globally as It Ramps Up AI Integration
MediaWorld Sold iPad Air for €15 — Then Asked Customers to Return Them or Pay More
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Promises ‘Full-Time’ Education for All Children as School Attendance Slips
UK Extends Sugar Tax to Sweetened Milkshakes and Lattes in 2028 Health Push
UK Government Backs £49 Billion Plan for Heathrow Third Runway and Expansion
UK Gambling Firms Report £1bn Surge in Annual Profits as Pressure Mounts for Higher Betting Taxes
UK Shares Advance Ahead of Budget as Financials and Consumer Staples Lead Gains
Domino’s UK CEO Andrew Rennie Steps Down Amid Strategic Reset
UK Economy Stalls as Reeves Faces First Budget Test
UK Economy’s Weak Start Adds Pressure on Prime Minister Starmer
UK Government Acknowledges Billionaire Exodus Amid Tax Rise Concerns
×