7 in 10 Brits think BBC covered up Savile allegations
Seven in ten people in Britain think the BBC covered up allegations of sexual abuse against Jimmy Savile. Just under a third (32%) say their trust in the BBC has decreased, while 41% say they still trust the BBC, according to a YouGov poll for The Sun.
The poll also reveals that 66% of the public think the BBC has handled the Savile situation badly, and over two-thirds (68%) say that Newsnight was wrong not to report the claims against the late BBC DJ. 34% believe that others at the BBC were involved in similar behaviour at the time.
Meanwhile, public opinion is divided on whether BBC Director-General George Entwistle should resign over the scandal: 29% say he should resign, 33% believe he should stay in his post and 38% are not sure.
Trust 'shattered'
Commenting on the results, YouGov Director of Political and Social Research Joe Twyman said:
“Earlier this week BBC Director-General George Entwistle said that trust in the BBC had been ‘shaken’ by the allegations surrounding Jimmy Savile, however, on the basis of these results, ‘shattered’ might have been a better description. History tells us that before any organisation can start the process of regaining the public’s trust they need to draw a line under things. This may be difficult for the BBC at the moment, given over a third suspect this type of behaviour was a wider incident that involved others at the BBC at the time. This perception, while it lasts, could prevent the organisation from moving on in the eyes of the public.”
For more information contact YouGov PR Executive Harris MacLeod
For the updated press release click here
And click here for the full results of the poll
