Two out of three British citizens support abolishing the BBC license fee

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Two out of three British citizens believe that the public broadcaster BBC license fee should be abolished.

According to The Telegraph on the 23rd (local time), a survey conducted by polling analysis firms FindOutNow and Electoral Calculus on 2,488 Britons found that 42% of respondents strongly agreed with the statement, "Abolish the BBC license fee and change to a system where viewers voluntarily pay the fee."

Another 21% somewhat agreed. On the other hand, 23% expressed opposition. The remainder either had "no opinion" or "withheld judgment."

Additionally, 71% of respondents rated the value of the BBC license fee as "very bad" or "bad," while only 14% rated it as "good" or "very good." Eleven percent answered "moderate."

By age group, younger people were more likely to rate the value of the BBC license fee negatively. The proportion answering "very bad" was 52% among those aged 18?24, but only 40% among those aged 65 and over.

Politically, 60% of Brexit supporters chose "very bad," while only 32% of Remain supporters responded with "very bad." By social class, the proportion of "very bad" responses increased among the working class.

In the UK, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries mentioned on the 16th that the BBC license fee (?159 per year, about 259,000 KRW) should be frozen at ?159 until April 2024 and abolished from 2028, sparking a debate over the BBC license fee.

The BBC requested a license fee increase aligned with inflation for five years until 2027 to compete with Netflix and others, but the UK government rejected this.

Chris Holbrook, CEO of FindOutNow, said, "Subscription to streaming services has changed the landscape of the BBC license fee system."

Martin Baxter, CEO of Electoral Calculus, also said, "The public thinks the TV license fee is too expensive and not worth the money," adding, "Most people would prefer a subscription model instead of the current license fee system."