Essential Report, media, media regulation, Perceptions of Media, Polling, polls
Q. How much trust do you have in what you read in the following newspapers?
A lot of trust | Some trust | Not much trust | No trust at all | Don’t know | |
The Australian | 16% | 53% | 19% | 8% | 5% |
The Telegraph (NSW only) | 7% | 45% | 25% | 21% | 2% |
Sydney Morning Herald (NSW only) | 20% | 54% | 19% | 6% | 1% |
The Age (Victoria only) | 23% | 56% | 15% | 3% | 3% |
Herald Sun (Victoria only) | 7% | 47% | 32% | 12% | 2% |
Courier Mail (Queensland only) | 9% | 56% | 22% | 12% | 1% |
* Note : Percentages based only on respondents who had read each newspaper.
Among those who have read each newspaper, 23% have a lot of trust in The Age and 20% have a lot of trust in the SMH. 16% of readers of The Australian have a lot of trust in the newspaper but only 7% have a lot of trust in The Telegraph and The Herald Sun. 46% have not much or no trust in The Telegraph and 44% have not much or no trust in The Herald Sun.
Liberal/National voters (21% and 57%) are more likely than Labor voters (17% and 50%) to have a lot or some trust in the Australian.
Essential Report, media, media ownership, media regulation, Perceptions of Media, Polling, polls, Rupert Murdoch
Q. Have the recent events in Britain concerning phone hacking by Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper, made you more or less concerned about the conduct of Australian newspapers?
Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
Total more concerned | 51% | 56% | 48% | 68% |
Total less concerned | 5% | 5% | 4% | 3% |
Much more concerned | 15% | 19% | 11% | 26% |
A little more concerned | 36% | 37% | 37% | 42% |
A little less concerned | 4% | 4% | 4% | 3% |
Much less concerned | 1% | 1% | >1% | – |
Makes no difference | 38% | 33% | 44% | 26% |
Don’t know | 6% | 6% |
Just over half (51%) of respondents are more concerned about the conduct of Australian newspapers following the recent events in Britain. 5% are less concerned, 38% say it makes no difference and 6% stated don’t know.
Green voters were more likely to state that they were more concerned (68%). Labor voters (56%) were more likely than Liberal voters (48%) to state that they were more concerned.
There was no substantial difference between the genders, states or age groups.
Essential Report, media, media regulation, Perceptions of Media, Polling, polls
Q. Thinking about the media in Australia, do you think there needs to be more or less regulation of the media or is the present level of regulation about right?
Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
Needs to be more regulation | 48% | 54% | 39% | 73% |
Needs to be less regulation | 6% | 5% | 6% | 3% |
Present regulation about right | 31% | 26% | 40% | 15% |
Don’t know | 15% | 15% | 13% | 9% |
48% of respondents think that there needs to be more regulation of media in Australia. 31% think that the current level of regulation in about right.
Green voters (73%) are the most likely to think that there needs to be more regulation. This is followed by those that vote Labor (54%) and those that vote Lib/Nat (39%).
There was little difference between the genders, states or ages.
ABC radio, ABC TV, Commercial radio, Commercial TV, Daily newspapers, EMC, ER, Essential Media, Essential Report, media, News, Polling, polls, SBS, Sky News, the media, trust in media
Q. How much would you say you trust each of the following media sources to provide you with the news and information you want about Australian politics?
A lot/some trust | |||||||||||
Total a lot/some trust | Total not much/no trust | A lot of trust | Some trust | Not much trust | No trust at all | Don’t know | Aged 18-34 | Aged 35-54 | Aged 55+ | ||
ABC TV | 76% | 15% | 29% | 47% | 9% | 6% | 9% | 73% | 77% | 79% | |
SBS | 70% | 15% | 24% | 46% | 10% | 5% | 15% | 69% | 72% | 67% | |
ABC radio | 69% | 17% | 25% | 44% | 11% | 6% | 14% | 66% | 71% | 71% | |
Daily newspapers | 53% | 40% | 6% | 47% | 31% | 9% | 7% | 52% | 53% | 52% | |
Commercial TV | 45% | 48% | 4% | 41% | 35% | 13% | 7% | 42% | 48% | 44% | |
Sky News | 41% | 25% | 7% | 34% | 17% | 8% | 34% | 46% | 42% | 34% | |
Commercial radio | 40% | 48% | 4% | 36% | 34% | 14% | 12% | 34% | 44% | 41% |
The most trusted media for news and information about politics were ABC TV (76%), SBS (70%) and ABC radio (69%). The least trusted were commercial radio and commercial TV (both 48% not much or no trust).
Those aged 18-34 tended to have more trust in Sky News (46%) but less trust in commercial radio (34%).
The major differences by voting intention were that Liberal/National voters have more trust in commercial TV (52%), Sky News (48%) and commercial radio (49%).
EMC, ER, Essential Media, Esssential Report, government in the media, media, News, Perceptions of Media, politics in the media, Polling, polls, the media
Q. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
Total agree | Total disagree | Strongly agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly disagree | Don’t know | |
The media usually reports the news accurately | 35% | 54% | 2% | 33% | 41% | 13% | 12% |
The media usually reports all sides of a story | 21% | 69% | 1% | 20% | 46% | 23% | 10% |
The media is too critical of government and politicians in Australia | 29% | 57% | 4% | 25% | 46% | 11% | 14% |
These days I rely more on the internet than newspapers and TV for my news and information about politics. | 44% | 46% | 12% | 32% | 37% | 9% | 10% |
I trust the media more than I trust politicians | 37% | 43% | 4% | 33% | 33% | 10% | 20% |
I trust politicians more than I trust the media | 16% | 65% | 1% | 15% | 44% | 21% | 18% |
The media does a good job of scrutinizing politics and holding politicians accountable | 45% | 43% | 3% | 42% | 31% | 12% | 12% |
Overall, the media are politically biased in favour of the Liberal Party | 19% | 55% | 4% | 15% | 44% | 11% | 26% |
Overall, the media are politically biased in favour of the Labor Party | 23% | 50% | 5% | 18% | 41% | 9% | 25% |
The media are too focused on personalities and not enough on policies | 70% | 18% | 21% | 49% | 15% | 3% | 12% |
There is too much coverage of politics in the media | 34% | 52% | 7% | 27% | 45% | 7% | 14% |
The media does a good job of helping people to understand political and social issues | 40% | 48% | 2% | 38% | 36% | 12% | 12% |
I follow the news closely every day | 57% | 38% | 10% | 47% | 32% | 6% | 6% |
The majority of respondents disagree that the media usually reports all sides of a story (69%) and that the media reports the news accurately (54%).
However, they tend to trust the media a little more than they trust politicians – 37% agree they trust the media more and 16% agree they trust politicians more.
The results also indicate that respondents want more rather than less coverage of politics – only 34% agree that there is too much coverage of politics and 57% disagree that the media is too critical of government and politicians.
Respondents were divided over whether the media does a good job of scrutinizing politics and holding politicians accountable (45% agree/43% disagree) and tended to disagree that the media does a good job of helping people to understand political and social issues (40% agree/48% disagree).
70% agree that the media are too focused on personalities and not enough on policies.
A minority of respondents think the media are biased – 23% think they are biased in favour of the Labor Party and 19% in favour of the Liberal Party.
Alliance, Andrew Bolt, EMC, Essential Media, Essential Report, Future of Journalism Project, journalism, journos, Laurie Oakes, media, Media Alliance, Michelle Grattan, peter lewis, The Drum
First Published on The Drum 14/12/2010
Here is the word cloud that will prick a thousand egos – and restore some reality to the debate about the future of the media.
In an era of celebrity journos building Twitter empires and media business models inspired by the porn industry, the truth is that very few members of the public have any idea who is writing or reporting their daily news.
That’s what Essential Research found while working with the Media Alliance’s Future of Journalism Project – when asked to name a journalist, the vast majority of respondents could come up with only one name: ‘Don’t Know’.
agriculture, banks, economy, environment, farming, media, mining companies, small business, the media
Q. Thinking about the last 12 months, has it been a good or bad year for each of the following?
Total good | Total bad | Very good | Good | Neither good nor bad | Bad | Very bad | Don’t know | |
The banks | 69% | 13% | 42% | 27% | 14% | 9% | 4% | 4% |
The mining industry | 57% | 14% | 27% | 30% | 24% | 11% | 3% | 6% |
Large companies and corporations | 44% | 15% | 10% | 34% | 35% | 13% | 2% | 7% |
The Australian economy | 41% | 20% | 5% | 36% | 36% | 17% | 3% | 4% |
The media | 30% | 14% | 8% | 22% | 45% | 10% | 4% | 10% |
The environment | 14% | 37% | 2% | 12% | 43% | 28% | 9% | 5% |
Small business | 14% | 45% | 2% | 12% | 35% | 34% | 11% | 6% |
Farming and agriculture | 14% | 50% | 2% | 12% | 31% | 35% | 15% | 5% |
A majority of respondents think it has been a good year for the banks (69%) and the mining industry (57%). They are also more likely to think it has been a good year for large companies and corporations (44% good/15% bad), the economy (41%/20%), and the media (30%/14%).
However, they are more likely to think the year has been bad for farming and agriculture (50%), small business (45%) and the environment (37%).
In terms of the economy, all voter groups were more likely to think it has been a good year – Labor 55% good/11% bad, Liberal/National 33%/29% and Greens 53%/12%. Comments »
ABC, free-to-air TV, media, News, Newspapers, pay TV, Radio, SBS, the media
Q. Thinking about where you get your news, on an average weekday which of the following media would you use?
Total | Vote Labor | Vote Lib/Nat | Vote Greens | |
Daily newspaper | 42% | 42% | 47% | 38% |
Commercial (free-to-air) TV news | 64% | 68% | 67% | 57% |
ABC TV news | 32% | 34% | 34% | 32% |
SBS TV news | 12% | 10% | 11% | 19% |
Pay TV news | 10% | 11% | 11% | 6% |
Commercial radio news | 27% | 23% | 34% | 20% |
ABC radio news | 17% | 17% | 17% | 22% |
Internet news sites – e.g. newspaper sites, ABC, etc | 55% | 54% | 59% | 56% |
Internet blogs | 6% | 4% | 7% | 10% |
None of them | 5% | 2% | 3% | 10% |
The most commonly used news sources on weekdays are commercial TV news (64%), internet news sites (55%) and newspapers (42%).
Respondents aged 45+ were more likely to use commercial TV news (70%), newspapers (48%), and ABC TV news (43%). Those aged under 35 were more likely to access internet news sites (60%) and less likely to read newspapers (36%). Comments »