Everyday engagements with the BBC across Leave and Remain identities, drawing on survey analysis, ethnographic interviews, and ethnographic case studies

Haong, J. and Patterson, D. and Banducci, S. and Tyler, K. and Stevens, D. and Blamire, J. and Degnen, C. and Horvath, Laszlo (2024) Everyday engagements with the BBC across Leave and Remain identities, drawing on survey analysis, ethnographic interviews, and ethnographic case studies. In: Tyler, K. and Banducci, S. and Degnen, C. (eds.) Reflections on Polarisation and Inequalities in Brexit Pandemic Times: Fractured Lives in Britain. Routledge. ISBN 9781032593159. (In Press)

Abstract

In this chapter we examine the everyday media practices of British citizens. Unlike the traditional press and the more polarised tabloids which endorsed a Leave or Remain position in the Brexit campaign, the BBC, as a public broadcaster, maintained impartiality. The BBC was central to how the British public experienced both the Brexit transition period and the Covid-19 lockdowns. We integrate qualitative and quantitative data to examine everyday engagements with the BBC across Leave and Remain identities in Britain during this time. We draw on an online survey of 5000 respondents conducted during the pandemic lockdowns and in-depth interviews that formed part of ethnographic fieldwork within community settings between 2018 and 2021 to examine everyday use and how perceptions of bias and impartiality underpin trust in the BBC. These experiences show a nuanced picture of the BBC and its publics. Echoing the themes of other chapters in this volume (see Blamire et al., chapter 7), we find instances of shared experience and commonality that provide a contrast to the narratives about a polarising and divisive media environment.

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