BBC Polling Data
BBC Impartiality Polling — What Voters Really Think
Polling data on whether the BBC is considered left-leaning, right-leaning, or balanced — broken down by party affiliation, region, and age. Includes abolition and licence fee polling.
Overall BBC Impartiality Perception (2024)
Q: “Do you think the BBC is generally left-leaning, right-leaning, balanced, or don’t know?” All UK adults 18+. Sources: YouGov, Ipsos, More in Common 2024.
BBC Perceived as Left-Leaning: By 2024 Vote
% who say the BBC is “left-leaning” or “too sympathetic to liberal/left views” by how they voted in July 2024. Source: More in Common / YouGov 2024.
Note: Labour voters perceiving BBC as right-biased: 42%. The BBC faces simultaneous criticism from both directions — a classic sign of genuinely contested public space.
Why Reform voters overwhelmingly say BBC is left-leaning
Among voters who backed Reform UK in 2024, 78% describe the BBC as left-leaning. This is the highest rate of any voting group. Reform voters skew toward older men outside major cities who feel their cultural and political views — scepticism on immigration, hostility to net zero, nationalism — are systematically underrepresented in BBC programming.
Nigel Farage has repeatedly called the BBC institutionally biased, a message that resonates powerfully with the Reform coalition. More in Common research finds that trust in the BBC is the single strongest institutional trust predictor that separates Reform voters from Conservative voters.
Why Labour voters say BBC is right-leaning
42% of Labour voters in 2024 described the BBC as right-leaning. This view is most common among younger Labour voters (18–34) and members of the party’s left wing. Labour left critics point to what they see as overly deferential treatment of Conservative government claims on the economy, and to the appointment of Richard Sharp (a Conservative donor) as BBC chair under Boris Johnson.
The BBC’s handling of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership generated particular resentment: polling from 2019–2020 showed over 60% of Corbyn supporters said the BBC was right-biased. This perception has moderated slightly under Starmer’s leadership but remains significant.
BBC Licence Fee — Abolition Polling by Party
Q: “Should the BBC licence fee be abolished?” Source: YouGov / Savanta 2024. Base: All UK adults 18+.
| Voter group | Should abolish | Should keep | Don’t know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reform UK 2024 voters | 31% | 48% | 21% |
| Conservative 2024 voters | 24% | 54% | 22% |
| Labour 2024 voters | 11% | 71% | 18% |
| Lib Dem 2024 voters | 9% | 74% | 17% |
| Green 2024 voters | 14% | 68% | 18% |
| All UK adults | 19% | 61% | 20% |
BBC Perceived as Left-Leaning: By Age Group
Source: YouGov media tracker 2024. Older voters are more likely to perceive BBC as left-leaning, though the pattern partly reflects the higher concentration of Reform and Conservative voters among over-55s.