Nearly half the public have less trust in BBC since Jimmy Savile scandal - The Guardian

Nearly half the public have less trust in the BBC since the Jimmy Savile scandal began, according to an opinion poll produced on behalf of MediaGuardian on the eve of the expected publication of Nick Pollard's inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the axing of a Newsnight investigation into the late presenter's activities.

Market research agency Conquest Research & Consultancy's survey, conducted 24-26 November, found that 49% of respondents trust the BBC less than they did before "recent events" – a reference to the later misidentification of Lord McAlpine by Newsnight as well as the grim sex abuse scandal revealed by rival broadcaster ITV.

Of these, 19% of the 300 surveyed say they trust the BBC "much less than before", while 30% trusted the corporation "slightly less than before" in the aftermath of a six week controversy that ultimately led to the departure of its short-lived director general George Entwistle in the wake of the McAlpine error.

David Penn, the managing director of Conquest Research warned that the fallout from the Savile/Newsnight debacle "could well produce a permanent downgrade in the BBC's status," although he added that what was propping the broadcaster up was a perception that it was a "national treasure" which meant it remained the most trusted media outlet in Britain.

A significant minority – 33% – also blamed the BBC for "Jimmy Savile's behaviour", even though there is also allegations that he carried out sexual abuse at Stoke Mandeveille hospital, Broadmoor hospital and Duncroft Approved School for Girls near Staines as well as other institutions with which he was associated.

Almost half – 48% – of respondents felt the Savile affair was "the worst crisis" in the BBC's history, agreeing with remarks made by veteran foreign editor John Simpson in late October. When asked if the BBC needs a radical overhaul, 62% of Britons said yes (28% strongly agreeing, 34% slightly agreeing).

But, perhaps most ominously for the publicly funded Corporation, over 54% agreed with the statement that the £145.50 a year licence fee is a waste of money and should be abolished (34% strongly agreed, 20% slightly agree). The current licence fee deal runs until 2017, but negotiations over the next phase will begin the year after next.

However, despite the damage done to public perceptions, Conquest Research found that the BBC remains by some distance the most trusted source of UK news with 39% of respondents choosing it as their most trusted, ahead of ITV (13%), Sky News (10%), the Guardian (8%) and the Daily Mail (6%).

The survey found that 46% of its respondents felt the BBC was still a vital institution, against 20% who thought it a waste of money; while 61% agreed with the statement that it would be a "disaster if Britain lost the BBC" (36% strongly agreeing, 25% slightly agreeing).

Overall, Conquest concluded from the survey that a background of goodwill remains for the BBC, but that this can easily be eroded. "The perception is that it has made genuine mistakes and is making efforts to sort them out in a transparent and self critical way, and that recent events in reality constitute more cock-up than conspiracy," said Penn.

Conquest conducted the survey with a sample of about 300 using its proprietory research methodology Metapohorix, an online survey tool that uses visualisation to answer questions, a method that aims to better capture people's emotional reaction to events rather than by giving yes/no or marks out of ten.

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