The results show that collective circulation of right-wing papers is leaving that of the left-wing papers for dust. But the newly released National Readership Survey figures for 2016 will make grim reading for those who worry a right-wing media bias. Ultimately how much this all matters would normally depend on your view of whether the press leads or simply reflects public opinion. The most extreme examples of this were in the case of the Mirror, which 29% of fairly/very left-wingers believe to be fairly/very right-wing, and the Sun which nearly a quarter (23%) of fairly/very right-wingers consider the paper to be fairly/very left-wing. However, it was often these more staunchly left and right-wing Britons who felt this way. those who described themselves as fairly or very left/right-wing).ĭoubtless many people will be surprised to see anyone describe the Daily Mail as very left-wing, or likewise the Guardian as very right-wing. What exceptions there are were most likely to come from those with views closer to the extremes of the political spectrum (i.e. Whatever their ideology, the public were broadly in agreement about whether a paper was left or right-wing, the main difference being that left-wingers tended to see right-wing papers as more right-wing than right-wingers did (and vice versa). Personal ideology has relatively little impact on perception of newspapers’ ideologyĪs part of the survey, we also asked Britons to say how left or right-wing they are themselves. Just over a third (37%) of people consider it to sit in the political centre – more than double the rate for any other newspaper – whilst a further 26% said they thought it was slightly left-of-centre.Īs for The Times, the majority of people consider the paper to be either slightly right of centre or fairly right-wing (28 per cent in each case), although it is seen as the least right-wing of the right-wing papers. The Independent was the only newspaper that was seen as broadly centrist, albeit with a leftist bent. Whilst Britons were about equally likely to see both publications as slightly left-of-centre or fairly left-wing, slightly more considered the Guardian to be “very left-wing”, at 16% compared to The Mirror’s 11%. In total, 81% considered the paper to be right-wing to one degree or another.Īt the other end of the spectrum the Guardian is seen as Britain’s most left-wing newspaper, closely followed by the Mirror. Britain’s most read newspaper is described by 44% of Brits as “very right-wing”, far ahead of any other paper. In news that will surprise very few, the Daily Mail is seen as Britain’s most right-wing newspaper. (Please note that these results exclude those who said they didn’t know what the newspaper’s ideology was – a rate of between 39% and 49% for each newspaper) The Independent, although no longer a physical presence in Britain’s newsstands, was seen as a broadly centrist publication. Of the eight national newspapers we asked about, five were seen to be predominantly right-wing, whilst two were seen as predominantly left-wing. If you are on the Left and want to change society, the media will always come and get you”.īut how far are perceptions of the press’s right-wing bias held by the public at large? YouGov has now uncovered the Britons’ view on where mainstream national newspapers sit on the left-right political spectrum. Just this week Owen Jones described the UK press as “largely run by a very small group of very right-wing media moguls who defend the status quo of which they are part. A long-held complaint from many of Britain’s left-wingers is the right wing bias of much of the UK’s national press.
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