ABC Appreciation Survey June 2013 Summary Reportabout.abc.net.au/.../AppreciationSurveySummaryReport2013.pdf5 2. Background and objectives This report presents findings from the 2013

June 2013

ABC Appreciation Survey –

Summary Report 130603 / 0606 Prepared for:

Lisa Walsh

Head of Research & Marketing

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

700 Harris Street

ULTIMO NSW 2007

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Table of contents

1. Executive Summary 3

2. Background and objectives 5

3. Methodology 6

4. Research findings 9

4.1 Overall value of the ABC 9

4.2 Television 12

4.3 Radio 21

4.4 Online 29

4.5 Coverage of country news and information 35

4.6 Other specific charter obligations 37

4.7 News and current affairs - being balanced and even handed 40

Background The objective of the Appreciation Survey is to provide an overview of community attitudes and opinions about the ABC - as distinct from the detailed behavioural information provided by television, radio and online ratings. The most recent wave was fielded nationally by telephone in June 2013, among 1,903 people aged 14 years and over. Overview As found in all previous waves of the survey, a large majority of Australians (85 percent) believe the ABC performs a valuable role, provides quality content, and that it is doing a good job satisfying its charter obligations. At a community-wide level, compared with 12 months ago, the 2013 survey finds no change in attitudes about the ABC overall nor ABC TV, though there has been a small gain in positive sentiment concerning the amount of appealing content provided by ABC Radio. Nonetheless as noted in last year’s report, looking back over recent years, there has been a subtle loss in the perceived value of ABC services, and between 2009 and 2012 a reduction in the level of positive sentiment about ABC TV and ABC Radio which, in the main, is matched by a commensurate increase in neutral rather than negative opinion. There are a mix of reasons, but in part these gradual changes in attitude appear to be connected with changes in behaviour, and the extent to which people use ABC services. In particular this pattern is shared by ABC TV and ABC Radio among people aged 50+, and there is evidence of some decrease in this group’s behavioural connection with, or share of connection with, ABC TV and ABC Radio. For ABC TV, these developments have occurred during a period marked by the introduction of TV multi-channels, and greater choice for viewers.

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1. Executive summary Overall value of the ABC Eighty five percent of Australians believe the ABC provides a valuable service to the community, and close to half believe it provides a very valuable service. Overall community sentiment remains unchanged compared with last year, though looking back over time the current level is down a few percentage points on 2010, and this is part of a very subtle decline since 2006. This is most evident among people aged 50+. Television Most Australians (78 percent) remain of the view that ABC TV provides quality programming, and about two-thirds feel it does a 'good job' in terms of the number of shows it provides they personally like to watch. For commercial TV, after a marked improvement between 2008 and 2011 in the level of positive sentiment about the quality and quantity of content it provides, the past two waves show a reversal of this trend. However the level of positive community sentiment remains well above what it was at its lowest point in 2007 / 2008. For ABC TV, there is no change in overall community attitudes compared with last year, and Australians continue to have a more favourable view about ABC TV than commercial TV. Nonetheless it’s worth noting that the stability over the past 12 months follows a gradual loss of about 4 to 5 percentage points in positive sentiment between 2009 and 2012 – mainly matched by more people having neutral (rather then negative) views about ABC TV.

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1. Executive summary (cont’d) The shift from positive to neutral views appears to correlate with a reduction in the number of heavy viewers of ABC TV, and an increase in light/non viewers1 (based on peoples’ claimed viewing behaviour). These changes appear most pronounced among people aged 50+, and to a lesser extent, people aged 35 to 49. Radio Sixty four percent of Australian adults believe the ABC provides good quality radio programming (only 11 percent feel it is poor), and 57 percent believe ABC Radio does a 'good job' in terms of the amount of programming it provides that they personally 'like to listen to' (only 16 percent feel ABC Radio does a poor job). The 2013 survey finds a small increase in the number who say ABC Radio does a ‘good’ job of providing appealing content, and this is most pronounced among men and people aged 50+. Although there has been an improvement this year among people aged 50+, it’s also true that the level of positive sentiment over the last three waves among this age group has been below previous levels. Again based on peoples’ claimed listening behaviour, this change in attitude appears related to behaviour. Compared with previous waves, the last three surveys reveal fewer heavy ABC Radio listeners in this age group, and more ‘light/non’ listeners. Online Close to 4-in-10 Australians (37 percent) claim to ever use the ABC website, even if only occasionally, and 16 percent say they use it at least once a week. Users of the site are largely sourced from people who are also heavy or medium users of either ABC TV or ABC Radio.

As found in previous waves, the vast majority of the site’s users: – believe the quality of its content is either very good or quite good;

and, – based on the things they use it for, feel the site does a 'good job' in

the amount of content it provides. Coverage of country news and information Community perceptions about coverage of country news and information remain far more favourable for the ABC than for commercial media - both among people in capital cities and people in country/ regional areas. Eighty percent of Australians believe the ABC does a 'good job' covering country/regional issues compared with 45 percent for commercial media. Compared with two years ago, the level of positive sentiment about ABC media on this issue has increased among people living in country/ regional areas. Other specific charter obligations The majority of Australians remain of the view that the ABC is doing 'a good job' in meeting its various other charter obligations, and compared with last year, there is little change. Looking across the past three or four waves though, the level of positive sentiment has decreased to some degree on a number of dimensions, matched by an increase in neutral (rather than negative) opinion. This appears correlated with some loss in behavioural connection with ABC TV and/or ABC Radio.

1.See Section 3, Methodology, for a description of how the heavy, medium and light/non usage

segments are derived.

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2. Background and objectives This report presents findings from the 2013 ABC Appreciation Survey, which follows similar studies conducted in 1998, 1999, and annually from 2002 to 2012. The objective of the research is to provide an overview of community attitudes about the ABC - as distinct from the detailed behavioural information provided by television, radio and online ratings. Specifically, the research explored community attitudes and perceptions about:

• the overall value of the ABC and its services to the Australian community;

• the quality of programming on ABC Television and Radio;

• the extent to which ABC Television and Radio offer programming people like to watch, or listen to;

• usage of, and attitudes towards the ABC website;

• the ABC’s coverage of country news and information;

• the extent to which the ABC fulfils various other charter obligations;

• the even-handedness of ABC news and current affairs reporting. As a point of comparison, and to assist interpretation of results, attitudes and perceptions were also measured in relation to commercial media on a number of dimensions. TV viewing and radio listening were also collected for cross-analysis purposes.

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3. Methodology The research was conducted nationally, by telephone, among 1,903 respondents aged 14 years and over. Fieldwork was conducted over the period June 3-16, 2013, by fully trained and personally briefed interviewers. Respondents were selected by a stratified random sample process which included:

– a quota being set for each capital city and non-capital city area, and within each of these areas, a quota being set for groups of statistical divisions or subdivisions;

– random selection of household telephone numbers

– random selection of an individual in each household by a 'last birthday' screening question.

To ensure the sample included those people who tend to spend more time away from home, a system of call backs and appointments was incorporated. Results were post-weighted to ABS data on age, highest level of schooling completed, sex and area. Heavy, Medium and Light/non-users of ABC services In order to explore attitudes according to people’s usage of ABC services, the sample was segmented into heavy, medium and light/non ABC users. The segments were constructed based on respondent’s own assessment of how much time they spend watching ABC TV, or listening to ABC Radio (i) on an average weekday and (ii) on an average weekend day. Although in absolute terms these self-assessments may not be particularly accurate, they are adequate for the purposes of a broad segmentation. The following definitions were used:

People who report that they do not spend any time watching/ listening to ABC TV/Radio on an average day, may still watch/ listen periodically. Consequently those who claim to watch “0” hours have been categorised as ‘Light/non’ users. A segmentation based on a combination of ABC TV and Radio usage was subsequently derived as follows:

% Heavy either heavy viewer of ABC TV or heavy listener of ABC Radio 42

Medium medium ABC TV or ABC Radio user, but not heavy user of either 39

Light/non viewers / listeners not heavy or medium user of either ABC TV or Radio 20

Amount of time ABC TV ABC Radio spent viewing/ viewing segments listening segments listening % of 14+ population % of 14+ population

Heavy 6+ hours a week 30 22

Medium <6 hours a week 41 30

Light/non 0 hours a week 29 48

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3. Methodology A final segmentation incorporating ABC TV, Radio and the ABC website was derived as follows:

% Heavy heavy ABC TV/ Radio user or use ABC website 4-6 days a week 44 or more often

Medium medium ABC TV/ Radio user or use ABC website 1-3 days a week 37 but not heavy user of any

Light/non not heavy or medium user users of ABC TV/ Radio or website 19

Changes to question wording Over the years the ways in which people may consume ABC TV or ABC Radio content have expanded to include online and mobile platforms, and the number of ABC TV channels has also grown. Consequently in 2013, the questions concerning usage of ABC TV and ABC Radio included expanded descriptions as follows:

Now a question about ABC television. These days the ABC has a number of different TV channels, and you can watch them on your TV, or you can watch them online. Now a question about listening to ABC radio stations - which could include listening to them on a radio, a computer, tablet or mobile phone.

Statistical significance testing Throughout the report, where relevant, statistically significant changes have been noted. All significance tests have been based on the 95 percent level of confidence. This means that if a change is noted as being statistically significant, there is a 95 percent probability that a real change has occurred, and is not simply due to chance variation between waves.

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4. Research findings

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4. Research findings 4.1 Overall value of the ABC Consistent with previous waves of the survey, a large majority (85 percent) of Australians believe the ABC provides a 'valuable' service to the community, and close to half regard it as being a very valuable service (Figure 1).1 There is no statistically significant change in overall community sentiment since last year, though the current level is down a few percentage points on 2010, and this is part of a very subtle decline evident since 2006. A generally positive view about the value of the ABC continues to be shared by men and women, all age groups and both capital city and country / regional residents. Also consistent with previous surveys, belief in the value of the ABC is correlated with usage of ABC services. For example:

• among heavy ABC Television / Radio/ website users, 93 percent believe the ABC and its services are 'valuable', (including 64 percent who think it is 'very’ valuable);

• while 60 percent of light/non-users believe it is 'valuable' (including 18 percent 'very’ valuable).

Related to this, a belief that the ABC is very valuable tends to increase with age (Figure 2).

1. In 2002-2013, the survey was conducted in June, but the 1998 and 1999 surveys were conducted in December. Moreover in 2002-2013, the 'value' question included reference to the ABC website but not in 1998 and 1999. It is unknown if these differences in timing or question wording had any impact on results.

The small decrease in overall positive sentiment compared with 2010 is most evident among males, and people aged 35+, and the longer term decrease since 2006 is most pronounced among people aged 50+. However 2013 does show an increase, after a drop last year, in the proportion of people aged 50+ who regard the ABC and its services to be very valuable. As will be seen in later sections of the report, this year also sees, at one level or another, a higher overall level of positive sentiment among people aged 50+ in relation to ABC Radio, and to a lesser extent ABC TV. Nonetheless even with these gains in 2013, positive sentiment among people aged 50+ remains below what it was in the past.

44 41 49 50 48 47 50 50 47 50 47 47 45 47

88 86 91 89 89 90 90 89 88 89 88 87 86 85

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FIGURE 1 BASE: AGED 14+ NATIONALLY (n=1290, 1900, 1900, 1900, 1900, 1900, 1900, 1903, 1902, 1900, 1905, 1904, 1908, 1903)

Overall value of the ABC* Thinking now about the ABC overall, including ABC Television, Radio and the ABC website. Overall, how would you rate the value of the ABC and its services to the

Australian community? Would you say it is ...?

NEITHER / DON’T KNOW 4 7 5 6 6 4 5 4 6 4 5 5 6 6

NOT VALUABLE

VALUABLE

* Mention of ABC website was not included in the question fielded in 1998 and 1999.

Total valuable

Very valuable

Total not valuable

Not at all valuable

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Statistically significant change: Noted prior to 2013 wave Noted with 2013 wave

BASE: AGED 14+ NATIONALLY: TOTAL (n=1905, 1904, 1908, 1903); SEX: MALE (n=952, 952, 953, 952), FEMALE (n=953, 952, 955, 951); AGE: 14-17 (n=154, 150, 150, 150), 18-24 (n=187, 156, 165, 157), 25-34 (n=228, 258, 201, 246), 35-49 (n=491, 528, 613, 517), 50+ (n=845, 812, 779, 833); AREA: 5 CAP CITY (n=1088, 1089, 1093, 1090), COUNTRY/ REGIONAL (n=817, 815, 815, 813): ABC TV/ RADIO: HEAVY (n=1036, 894, 834, 895), MEDIUM (n=635, 698, 737, 687), LIGHT/NON (n=234, 312, 337, 321)

Thinking now about the ABC overall, including ABC Television, Radio and the ABC website. Overall, how would you rate the value of the ABC and its services to the Australian community? Would you say it is ...?

47 47 45 47 48 48 45 46 45 45 44 48 33 28 25 31 33 40 39 38 41 51 48 46

57 50 54 55 49 48

42 47

88 87 86 85 89 87 85 84 87 87 87 85 89 88 92 87 84 86 84 87 86 89 83 86

92 87 89 86 86 86 84 82

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39 41 41 41

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88 87 86 85 87 87 85 84 89 86 86 86 95 97 96 93 89 89 89 87

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TOTAL MALE FEMALE 14-17 18-24 25-34 35-49 50+

TOTAL 5 CAP CITY CNTRY / REG'NAL HEAVY MEDIUM LIGHT / NON

5 5 6 6

AGE

NOT VALUABLE

VALUABLE

NOT VALUABLE

VALUABLE

SEX

ABC TV /RADIO /WEBSITE^ AREA

5 4 5 5 5 6 7 7 2 3 1 2 8 4 6 4 6 5 8 7 5 5 6 7 3 5 6 6

5 5 6 6 6 4 6 7 4 6 6 5 2 1 1 2 2 4 4 2

NEITHER / DK

NEITHER / DK

23 16 21 22

Overall value of the ABC

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FIGURE 2


^ Segmentation incorporates ABC website from 2013. In prior waves, the segmentation was based only on ABC TV and ABC Radio

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4.2 Television

4.2.1 Quality of programming A large majority of Australians (78 percent) believe the quality of programming on ABC Television is 'very' or 'quite good'. Following a small decline in positive sentiment between 2009 and 20121, there has been no further change in 2013. Sentiment about the quality of commercial TV showed a marked positive trend between 2008 and 2011 - first kicked-off in 2009 with the introduction of a number of high rating Australian TV programs such as Underbelly, Packed to the Rafters, MasterChef, and extending further with the introduction of the free to air digital channels. However the past two surveys show a reversal of this trend, and currently 44 percent of adults describe the quality of commercial TV as 'good', compared with 51 percent in 2011. Conversely, the number who describe the quality as ‘poor’ has increased from 42 percent in 2011 to 48 percent in 2013. Consequently overall, there continues to be a far stronger association of 'quality' content with ABC TV rather than commercial TV. Analysis among demographic segments shows the drop in positive sentiment for commercial TV over the past couple of years is evident (even if it is not always statistically significant) within each age group; among both men and women, and both among people who live in capital city and country/ regional areas. 1.The 2009 to 2012 decrease in positive sentiment about the quality of ABC TV was not reflected in

a commensurate increase in negative sentiment, but rather an increase in those who did not have a view about ABC TV.

For ABC TV, there is a mix of increases and decreases in attitudes within age groups.

• Among people aged 50+, 2013 sees an increase in the number saying the quality of ABC TV is ‘good’ after two waves of decline. However the number of people aged 50+ who say the quality of ABC TV is very good is lower in 2013 and 2012 than was the case in the two previous waves.

• The level of positive sentiment about the quality of ABC TV has decreased among 14 to 17’s with a commensurate increase in the number who have no view. A similar pattern is evident among 25 to 34 year olds, though in this case there has also been an increase in the number who believe the quality of ABC TV is ‘poor’.

• Looking back further in time, between 2010 and 2013 there has been a small, gradual decline in the level of positive sentiment about ABC TV among people aged 35 to 49.

20 18 20 23 20 22 23 24 24 25 26 27 27 26

4 5 5 5 6 7 6 6 6 6 9 8 9 7

75 75 78 79 77 80 80 81 82 82 81 79 78 78

41 40 43 41 40 38 39 37 37

42 44 51

49 44

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18 17 14 16 17 12 11 9 8 9 10 7 9 9 10 10 9 9 10

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1998 1999 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 1998 1999 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

%

VERY GOOD QUITE GOOD VERY POOR QUITE POOR

NEITHER / DON’T KNOW

Television - Quality of programming

POOR

GOOD

Based on your own experience, or what you may have seen or heard, overall do you think the quality of programming on... (TYPE) is good or poor?

13 14 13 13 14 9 12 10 9 8 9 12 13 13 7 6 7 8 7 6 7 7 5 6 7 7 6 8

ABC TV COMMERCIAL TV

BASE: AGED 14+ NATIONALLY: TOTAL (n=1290, 1900, 1900, 1900, 1900, 1900, 1900, 1903, 1902, 1900, 1905, 1904, 1908, 1903)

Total good

Very good

Total poor

Very poor

13

FIGURE 3


26 27 27 26 25 28 24 25 27 26 30 27 33 38 36 38 23 27 27 27

14 14 15 11

81 79 78 78 80 79 78 77 83 79 78 79 93 91 91 93 83 84 83 84

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81 79 78 78 82 77 77 77 80 82 78 78 79 83 85 75 75 78 75 83 80 79 86

75 84 82 81 78 83 78 72 77

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ABC Television - Quality of programming Based on your own experience, or what you may have seen or heard, overall do you think the quality of programming on ABC Television is good or poor?

POOR

GOOD

POOR

GOOD

9 12 13 13 9 12 14 13 9 11 13 13 9 5 5 13 11 13 15 8 9 13 9 14 9 11 17 13 7 12 12 13

9 12 13 13 9 11 14 14 8 12 13 11 2 3 4 3 7 6 8 6 26 31 32 32

AGE SEX

ABC TV VIEWING^ AREA

NEITHER / DK

NEITHER / DK

BASE: AGED 14+ NATIONALLY: TOTAL (n=1905, 1904, 1908, 1903); SEX: MALE (n=952, 952, 953, 952), FEMALE (n=953, 952, 955, 951); AGE: 14-17 (n=154, 150, 150, 150), 18-24 (n=187, 156, 165, 157), 25-34 (n=228, 258, 201, 246), 35-49 (n=491, 528, 613, 517), 50+ (n=845, 812, 779, 833); AREA: 5 CAP CITY (n=1088, 1089, 1093, 1090), COUNTRY/ REGIONAL (n=817, 815, 815, 813): ABC TV VIEWING: HEAVY (n=836, 681, 620, 634), MEDIUM (n=736, 784, 811, 776), LIGHT / NON (n=333, 439, 477, 493) FIGURE 4

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Commercial Television - Quality of programming Based on your own experience, or what you may have seen or heard, overall do you think the quality of programming on commercial television is good or poor?

POOR

GOOD

POOR

GOOD

NEITHER / DK 7 7 6 8 7 8 6 8 7 6 6 8 1 4 3 6 5 11 4 10 6 5 5 9 9 9 8 7 7 4 5 6

7 7 6 8 8 7 5 8 7 7 7 6 6 8 6 9 7 6 6 5 10 8 6 9 NEITHER / DK

AGE SEX

ABC TV VIEWING AREA

FIGURE 5

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BASE: AGED 14+ NATIONALLY: TOTAL (n=1905, 1904, 1908, 1903); SEX: MALE (n=952, 952, 953, 952), FEMALE (n=953, 952, 955, 951); AGE: 14-17 (n=154, 150, 150, 150), 18-24 (n=187, 156, 165, 157), 25-34 (n=228, 258, 201, 246), 35-49 (n=491, 528, 613, 517), 50+ (n=845, 812, 779, 833); AREA: 5 CAP CITY (n=1088, 1089, 1093, 1090), COUNTRY/ REGIONAL (n=817, 815, 815, 813): ABC TV VIEWING: HEAVY (n=836, 681, 620, 634), MEDIUM (n=736, 784, 811, 776), LIGHT / NON (n=333, 439, 477, 493)

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4.2 Television (cont’d)

4.2.2 The number of shows people like to watch In terms of the number of shows it provides that they personally like to watch, two-thirds of Australians believe ABC Television does a 'good job', compared with 48 percent for commercial TV1 (Figure 6). Reflecting patterns in perceptions about quality, in the past couple of surveys positive sentiment about commercial TV has declined (and the level of negative sentiment increased) following several years of continued improvement. Nonetheless attitudes about commercial TV remain more favourable than they were at their lowest point in 2007. Although the timing of this turnaround in sentiment about commercial TV varies by segment, collectively over the past two waves it is evident among both men and women; residents of capital cities and country/ regional areas, and people aged 14 to 17, 25 to 34 and 35 to 49 (though not the 18 to 24 and 50+ age groups). For ABC TV, again reflecting perceptions about quality, public sentiment has not changed significantly compared with last year. This follows a period of gradual decline in the level of positive sentiment between 2009 and 2012, and over the same period a commensurate increase in the number who have a neutral (as opposed to negative) view.

1. This finding is perhaps surprising given audience ratings for ABC TV vs commercial TV. However there are a

couple of issues to consider:

Firstly, we believe respondents answer this question relative to their expectations, and the role they have for ABC Television and commercial television in their lives. For example, a person may mainly use the ABC for news or current affairs, and believe it delivers. In their mind, the ABC provides quality content, and does a good job at providing the number of shows they like to watch. The same person may turn to commercial television for light entertainment - and in fact they spend more time watching light entertainment than anything else. But they may complain 'there’s nothing worth watching', and so, the commercial networks fall short of their expectations.

Secondly, the data show that heavier users of ABC Television are very critical of commercial TV, while other people are more even-handed in their appraisal of ABC vs commercial television.

This shift in sentiment from positive to neutral for ABC TV is partly connected with peoples’ viewing behaviour.

• Compared with previous surveys, the 2011, 2012 and 2013 waves of the Appreciation survey have found, based on peoples’ claimed viewing, fewer ‘heavy’ viewers of ABC TV, and more ’light/non’ viewers2. In varying degrees this is evident across age groups, though in absolute terms it is most evident among people aged 50+.

• Industry currency ratings data show some loss in the weekly reach of ABC TV among adults in 2012/2013 compared with 2010/2011 (though this is concentrated among people under 50)3.

Although ABC TV’s overall share of prime time viewing has been fairly stable, the last few years have seen some loss in share for the ABC 1 channel, most particularly among people aged 50+4. Patterns in this share data reflect those for ‘heavy’ ABC TV viewing measured by the Appreciation survey. Consequently perceptions about ABC 1 appear to be most dominant in peoples’ thinking when they report their behaviours and attitudes concerning ABC TV.

Looking at attitudes towards ABC TV amongst demographic segments:

• During 2011-2013, the number of people aged 50+ who say ABC TV does a ‘good’ job at providing shows they like to watch has levelled off at around 70 percent after a decline from figures historically closer to 80 percent. Moreover in the last two surveys, fewer believe that ABC TV does a very good job when compared with 2010/ 2011.

2. See Section 3, Methodology, for a description of how the heavy, medium and light/non viewing segments are derived.

3. OZTAM five capital city weekly reach, 2009-2013 (average for either May or June each year)

4. OZTAM five capital city share of audience 6pm-midnight during weeks 1-23 in 2008-2013.

17

4.2 Television (cont’d)

• Across the last few surveys, there has been a decrease in positive sentiment among 35 to 49 year olds, coupled with an increase in negative sentiment.

• Among men, the 2013 wave finds a decrease in positive sentiment compared with 2010.

• Among 18 to 24 year olds, there has been an increase in positive sentiment after a dip last year.

0

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0 1998 1999 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 1998 1999 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

%

VERY GOOD JOB QUITE GOOD JOB VERY POOR JOB QUITE POOR JOB

Television - Number of shows you like to watch And overall would you say ... (TYPE) does a good job, or a poor job, in terms of the number of shows it provides that you personally like to watch?

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ABC TV COMMERCIAL TV

GOOD JOB

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Very good

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FIGURE 6

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22 24 21 22 21 23 21 21 23 25 22 22 22 16 15 15 8 16 15 11

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68 67 65 65 69 65 66 64 67 68 65 66 58 62 61

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ABC Television - Number of shows you like to watch And overall would you say ABC Television does a good job, or a poor job, in terms of the number of shows it provides that you personally like to watch?

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25 27 30 30

6 6 5 6 6 5 6 6 6 6 5 5 1 2 2 1 5 4 3 5

17 12 12 12 22 21 22 23 22 22 23 23 23 19 21 22

9 9 9 8 26 21 22 24

45 37 36 37

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13

%


POOR JOB

GOOD JOB

POOR JOB

GOOD JOB

10 12 13 13 9 12 12 12 10 12 14 14 7 5 5 11 10 15 14 8 11 16 10 15 10 10 13 13 10 14 15 12

10 12 13 13 11 12 14 13 8 13 11 11 2 1 2 2 7 6 6 5 30 36 34 34


AGE SEX


NEITHER / DK

NEITHER / DK

FIGURE 7

19



Commercial TV - Number of shows you like to watch And overall would you say commercial television does a good job, or a poor job, in terms of the number of shows it provides that you personally like to watch?

17 15 15 13 14 13 12 11 19 16 18 14

34 34 29 26 31 21

31 15

24 19 25 19 13 14 11 12 9 9 7 7

51 55 51 48 48 54 46 46 55 55 56

51

81 82 74 68 72 65 64 67

59 68 62 59

47 54 49 46 39 40 39 37

18 15 17 19 20 16 20 21 17 15 14 17

3 4 6 6 6 5 11 8 14 11 13 14 19 17 15 20 27 22 24 26

44 41 44 45 47 42 49 47 41 39 38 43

17 18 25 28 26 27 34 27

37 28 30 33 48 42 47 48 54 54 54 56

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13

%

17 15 15 13 17 15 16 13 17 15 13 12 9 9 8 6 20 14 15 12

25 24 23 20

51 55 51 48 50 54 52 47 53 55 49 51 38 41 37 37

57 56 52 49

68 70 64 60

18 15 17 19 18 15 17 20 19 17 17 18 25 22 24 25 16 15 15 18

8 8 13 14

44 41 44 45 45 41 43 45 43 41 44 44 58 54 58 57

39 40 42 46

26 25 31 31

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13

%


POOR JOB

GOOD JOB

POOR JOB

GOOD JOB

AGE SEX




NEITHER / DK

NEITHER / DK

5 5 6 7 5 4 5 7 4 5 6 6 1 0 1 3 1 8 3 6 3 4 8 8 7 6 7 7 5 3 5 6

5 5 6 7 5 5 5 7 4 3 7 5 4 5 6 6 4 4 6 5 6 5 6 9

FIGURE 8

20



21

4.3 Radio

4.3.1 Quality of programming There continues to be a greater similarity in Australians’ overall perceptions about the quality of ABC vs commercial radio than in their perceptions about the quality of ABC vs commercial television. Sixty four percent describe the quality of ABC Radio programming as 'good' (11 percent feel it is poor), while 51 percent feel commercial radio offers good quality programming (and 35 percent feel it is poor) - Figure 9. For commercial radio, the 2013 wave finds an increased level of negative sentiment after two waves of it being less pronounced. Moreover compared with 2011, fewer feel the quality of content is ‘good’. Consequently attitudes about the quality of commercial radio have now returned to much the same level they were in 2009 and 2010. For ABC Radio, 2013 sees an increase in the number of Australians who have a view about the quality of its content (after a dip last year) – and this has fed through to a small increase both in: • the number who feel the quality of ABC Radio is ‘poor’; and, • although not significant, the number who feel the quality is ‘good’.

Overall though, the level of positive sentiment about ABC Radio in the past three surveys is lower than in 2009 and 2010 – with the more recent surveys marking a return to pre-2009 levels. The loss in positive sentiment has been made up by commensurate gain in neutral (rather then negative) sentiment.

As noted in last year’s report, there appear to be a combination of reasons for these changes:

• The jump in positive sentiment about ABC Radio in 2009 and 2010 was primarily caused by more positive views among ‘light/non’ ABC Radio listeners1. This implied the improvement either related to some very occasional exposure to ABC Radio programming, or to something positive these people had seen or heard about ABC Radio. When this pattern arose in 2009, geographic analysis suggested it was connected with ABC Radio’s role in covering the fire and flood disasters of that year; and/ or, increased listening over a particular period because of these same events. Although the 2010 results continued to show stronger positive perceptions among ‘light/non’ listeners, the 2011-2013 surveys have seen a return to more normal levels of positive / neutral sentiment among this group.

• In conjunction with this, the 2011-2013 Appreciation surveys have seen (based on peoples’ claimed listening behaviour) an increase in the absolute number of people categorised as ‘light/non’ listeners of ABC Radio, and a reduction in those categorised as ‘heavy’ listeners – and this has been most evident among people aged 50+.

Industry currency ratings data also show a small, gradual loss in the weekly reach of ABC Radio among people aged 50+ since 20092, and there is also evidence of some loss in time spent listening among people aged 40+3.

1. See Section 3, Methodology, for a description of how the heavy, medium and light/non listening segments are derived.

2. Nielsen Radio, five capital city reach, 2009-2013 survey 3 or 4 each year.

3. Nielsen Radio, five capital cities, Mon-Sun 5.30am-midnight – all surveys 2009, 2010, 2102; S2-8 2011; S1-4 2013.

22

4.3 Radio

4.3.1 Quality of programming (cont’d) Consequently prevailing circumstances in 2009 / 2010 mean the survey results from that period constitute an unusually high benchmark. Nonetheless some loss of behavioural connection with ABC Radio (particularly among older listeners) has contributed to a decrease in positive sentiment in the 2011-2013 surveys. There are a few statistically significant changes in perceptions about the quality of ABC Radio within demographic segments, but perhaps the most noteworthy relates to people aged 50+. 2013 sees a rise in positive sentiment after a drop last year, and this is because more people in this age group have a view about ABC Radio this year. Taking a longer term view, on average over the last three waves, 61 percent of people aged 50+ have had a positive view about the quality of ABC Radio. This compares with about 69 percent during the high benchmark 2009/ 2010 period, and 66 percent in 2007/ 2008. The drop in positive sentiment during the 2011-2013 period is not because of an increase in negative sentiment, but because fewer people in this age group have a view about ABC Radio. This, in turn, correlates with what appears to be less behavioural engagement with ABC Radio.

17 19 21 22 20 22 22 22 21 21 23 22 22 25

12 13 10 12 13 14 13 11 12 12 13 15 15 13

60 58 59 60 61 63 63 64 65 69 69

64 61 64

55 58

53 55 55 58 56 53 54 53 52 55 53 51

1 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 3 3 2 3

12 12 12 13 12 13 13 13 13 12 15 12 13 16

7 6 7 8 6 8 7 7 8 9 10 9 8 11

29 29 31 30 29 30 32 31 33 33 34 30 30

35

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

1998 1999 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 1998 1999 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

%


Radio - Quality of programming

POOR

GOOD

Based on your own experience, or what you may have seen or heard, overall do you personally think the quality of programming on... (TYPE) is good or poor?

33 36 34 32 33 28 31 29 27 22 21 27 31 26 16 14 16 16 16 13 13 16 13 14 14 14 16 14

ABC RADIO COMMERCIAL RADIO

Total good

Very good

Total poor

Very poor


23

FIGURE 9



23 22 22 25 22 23 18 24 24 22 27 26 44 47 45 50

24 32 29 32

9 7 9 8

69 64 61 64 68 61 58 62

71 68 66 66

95 97 94 95 86 88 86 89

40 36 36 33

10 9 8 11 9 11 9 10 11 7 7 12 3 3 3 3 8 8 6 7

15 13 11 16

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13

%


23 22 22 25 23 21 21 25 23 24 22 25 15 16

26 15 19 17 20 22 24 22 19

28 23 24 22 26 25 24 22 25

69 64 61 64 73

66 62 66 66 61 60 61 75 71

79 67 68 66 63 70

63 60 55 64

73 62 65 60 68 64 57

63

10 9 8 11 9 10 9 12 10 8 8 10 16 17 12 15 14

9 9 17 14 10 14 9 8 10 6 11 7 7 6 8

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13

%


ABC Radio - Quality of programming Based on your own experience, or what you may have seen or heard, overall do you personally think the quality of programming on ABC Radio stations is good or poor?

POOR

GOOD

POOR

GOOD

AGE SEX

ABC RADIO LISTENING AREA


21 27 31 26 18 24 29 23 24 31 33 29 9 13 10 19 18 25 28 13 23 30 31 26 25 29 37 28 18 28 29 29

21 27 31 26 23 29 34 28 18 25 27 22 1 1 2 2 5 5 9 4 45 51 53 51

NEITHER / DK

NEITHER / DK

BASE: AGED 14+ NATIONALLY: TOTAL (n=1905, 1904, 1908, 1903); SEX: MALE (n=952, 952, 953, 952), FEMALE (n=953, 952, 955, 951); AGE: 14-17 (n=154, 150, 150, 150), 18-24 (n=187, 156, 165, 157), 25-34 (n=228, 258, 201, 246), 35-49 (n=491, 528, 613, 517), 50+ (n=845, 812, 779, 833); AREA: 5 CAP CITY (n=1088, 1089, 1093, 1090),

COUNTRY/ REGIONAL (n=817, 815, 815, 813): ABC RADIO LISTENING: HEAVY (n=573, 482, 472, 472), MEDIUM (n=579, 542, 534, 548), LIGHT / NON (n=753, 880, 902, 883) FIGURE 10

24


Commercial Radio - Quality of programming Based on your own experience, or what you may have seen or heard, overall do you personally think the quality of programming on commercial radio stations is good or poor?

13 15 15 13 12 13 12 12 15 18 18 14 17 18 24 14

22 17 11 13 17 14 20 15 9 16 15 15 11 14 12 11

52 55 53 51 51 55 50 48 52 55 56 54

76 72 78 65 60 52 57 62 64 62 60

52 49 55 55 53 42 51 45 44

15 12 13 16 17 14 16 18 12 10 11 14

3 4 5 8 13 8 11 12 14 11 14

20 18 16 16 18 15 14 13 16

34 30 30 35 39 33 35 39

29 27 26 31 22 23 18 28

33 35 27 33 30 28 32 38 40 37 33 37 34 27 31 33

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13

%

13 15 15 13 14 17 16 13 12 13 14 12 10 7 6 6 12 11 13 13 17 21 20 16

52 55 53 51 54 56 57 52 49 53 48 50 36 32 33 29

50 55 52 54 64 65 62 59

15 12 13 16 16 13 13 17 12 11 14 14 23 28 22 30

18 12 17 17 7 6 8 9

34 30 30 35 33 31 29 36 35 29 33 33 49 52 47

55 41

34 38 38

19 19 20 23

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13

%


POOR

GOOD

POOR

GOOD

AGE SEX

ABC RADIO LISTENING AREA

14 14 16 14 10 12 15 13 18 17 17 15 2 5 4 8 7 13 16 5 6 11 8 10 25 22 25 23 11 8 12 10

14 14 16 14 13 13 15 12 16 17 19 18 15 16 20 16 9 11 11 7 17 15 17 18



NEITHER / DK

NEITHER / DK

FIGURE 11

25



COUNTRY/ REGIONAL (n=817, 815, 815, 813): ABC RADIO LISTENING: HEAVY (n=573, 482, 472, 472), MEDIUM (n=579, 542, 534, 548), LIGHT / NON (n=753, 880, 902, 883)

26

4.3 Radio (cont’d)

4.3.2 Amount of programming personally like to listen to Fifty seven percent of Australians believe ABC Radio does a 'good job' in terms of the amount of programming it provides that they personally like to listen to, compared with 50 percent for commercial radio (Figure 12). The number who feel commercial radio does a 'poor' job remains substantially greater (34 percent) than for ABC Radio (16 percent). For commercial radio, the overall level of positive sentiment has been subtly trending down since 2006, and this year sees a small increase in the number who feel it does a ‘very’ poor job in providing appealing content. For ABC Radio, compared with 12 months ago there has been an increase in the level of positive sentiment about the appeal of its content, and this is because more people have a view about it this year (as found in relation to perceptions about its quality). This pattern is most evident among men, people aged 50+ and among people who live in capital cities. There is also a rise, after a dip last year, in the number who believe ABC Radio does a ‘very’ good job at providing content that they like to listen to – and again this is most evident among men, capital city dwellers, and people aged 25+. Looking over the longer term among demographics though, compared with 2010 there is a lower level of positive sentiment among those aged 14 to 17 and 35 to 49. But perhaps most important are the attitudes of people aged 50+. Although there has been an improvement this year, the level of positive sentiment over the last three waves in this age group has been consistently below previous levels.

Over 2011-2013, on average, 56 percent of people aged 50+ had a positive view about ABC Radio content, compared with an average of 66 percent in 2009/2010 and 64 percent in 2008/2009. Collectively over the five waves, the loss in positive sentiment has been compensated to some degree by a small increase in negative sentiment, and a rise in the number who do not have a view about ABC Radio. As found in relation to perceived quality, this correlates with less behavioural engagement with ABC Radio.

16 18 19 22 23 20 20 22 22 23 22 23 20

24

13 16

11 15 15 17 14 14 14 14 16 17 15 15

57 56 57 56 59 59 59 59 59 62 61

57 53 57 56 58

53 55 54 55 55 53 54 54 52 53 51 50

2 4 2 3 3 4 3 4 5 5 5 4 4 5 12 12 14 14 13 14 14 15 14 13 17 14 14 17

10 10 8 9 9 12 10

12 14 16 17 14 15 16

28 27 30 29 28 31 32 32 33 33 34 31 32 34

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

1998 1999 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 1998 1999 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

%


Radio - Amount of programming like to listen to And overall would you say that ... (TYPE) does a good job, or a poor job, in terms of the amount of programming it provides that you personally like to listen to?

33 34 35 34 32 30 31 29 27 23 22 29 32 27 16 15 16 16 18 14 14 16 13 13 14 15 17 15

ABC RADIO COMMERCIAL RADIO

GOOD JOB

POOR JOB

Total good


Very good

Total poor

Very poor

FIGURE 12

27



ABC Radio - Amount of programming like to listen to And overall would you say that ABC Radio does a good job, or a poor job, in terms of the amount of programming it provides that you personally like to listen to?

22 23 20 24 21 22 20 25 23 23 20 23 13 14

23 10 14 18 15 18 19 20

14 22 24 23 20 26 26 26 23 28

61 57 53 57 67

60 56 61 56 54 50 53 65

58 63 53 55 56 53

61 55 55 47 54

63 57 59 55 64 58

50 60

17 14 15 16 16 15 15 16 18 13 14 16 27 28 27 26 26 19 23 26

21 15 20 21 16 14 11 16 10 10 10 9

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13

%

22 23 20 24 21 21 18 24 23 24 22 23

46 54 47 54

21 28 25 31

7 6 6 6

61 57 53 57 59 55 49 57 65 61 59 59

94 96 95 92 82 81 76 84

25 28 25 25

17 14 15 16 17 17 16 15 17 10 12 17 5 2 3 5 14 14 14 12

27 20 20 23

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13

%


POOR JOB

GOOD JOB

GOOD JOB

22 29 32 27 17 24 29 23 27 33 35 31 8 13 9 21 19 25 24 12 24 30 33 24 26 31 40 32 20 29 30 30

22 29 32 27 24 28 35 28 18 30 29 24 1 2 2 3 4 5 9 4 48 52 55 52



AGE SEX

ABC RADIO LISTENING^ AREA

NEITHER / DK

NEITHER / DK

POOR JOB

FIGURE 13

28




Commercial Radio - Amount of programming like to listen to And overall would you say that commercial radio does a good job, or a poor job, in terms of the amount of programming it provides that you personally like to listen to?

16 17 15 15 14 16 12 15 17 18 17 16 30 24 25 20 23 17

10 17 21 16 15 13 12 16 17 19

12 17 13 13

52 53 51 50 52 52 48 49 52 54 55 51

76 66

73 67 62 58 49

64 63 55 58

48 50 54 54 51 42 48 44 44

17 14 14 17 18 15 17 20 15 12 11 14 8 7 8 5 19 13 15 10 10 11 15 22 19 16 15 19 19 14 14 18

34 31 32 34 38 35 37 37 31 28 26 32 22 28 24 25 31 31 35 31 28

32 31 42 41 36 36 38 35 29 30 31

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13

%

16 17 15 15 16 18 15 16 15 16 14 15 14 9 9 8 14 14 11 15 19 22 19 19

52 53 51 50 53 55 54 52 50 51 47 47 36 32 31 26

54 54 50 55 61 62 60 59

17 14 14 17 17 14 14 17 16 12 14 17 28 28 24 31

15 14 16 17 11 7 9 11

34 31 32 34 33 31 30 35 36 31 34 34 49 50 51 56

37 37 40 37 22 21 20 22

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13

%


POOR JOB

GOOD JOB

POOR JOB

GOOD JOB

AGE SEX

ABC RADIO LISTENING^ AREA



NEITHER / DK

NEITHER / DK

14 15 17 15 11 13 15 14 17 18 19 17 2 6 3 9 7 11 16 5 9 13 12 10 23 23 26 24 9 10 10 12

14 15 17 15 14 14 15 13 14 18 19 19 15 18 18 17 8 9 9 8 17 17 20 19

FIGURE 14

29




2 2

6 8 7 7

9 10 11 12 13

17 15 16

8 12

18 20

22 23 23

26 25

31 31

35 34 37

0

20

40

60

80

1998 1999 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

%

AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK LESS THAN ONCE A WEEK

30

Frequency use ABC website Now thinking about the ABC website. About how often would you personally visit the ABC website?

Would it be at least once a week, less than once a week or never?

Usage remains higher among people aged under 50 rather than over 50, and continues to be mainly concentrated among those who are heavy/ medium users of ABC TV/ ABC Radio (Figure 16). Even if it is not always statistically significant, there is usage growth in most age groups between 2010 and 2013, though it appears most pronounced among people aged 35 to 49.

4.4 Online

4.4.1 Usage of the ABC website Close to 4-in-10 Australians (37 percent) claim to ever use the ABC website, even if only occasionally, and 16 percent say they use it at least once a week (Figure 15). There have been no significant differences in these levels between 2011 and 2013. Usage of the site has generally been higher among men than women, though there is evidence of more growth in usage among women between 2010 and 2013.

Total ever use

At least once a week

BASE: AGED 14+ NATIONALLY: TOTAL (n=1290, 1900, 1900, 1900, 1900, 1900, 1900, 1903, 1902, 1900, 1905, 1904, 1908, 1903) FIGURE 15


Frequency use ABC website Now thinking about the ABC website. About how often would you personally visit the ABC website? Would it be

at least once a week, less than once a week or never?

13 17 15 16 14

18 15 17

13 14 15 15 17 24 22 21

12 16 15 17

2 3 3 5

31 35 34

37 32

37 35 39

28 32 33 32

36 45 44 44

31 37 35

40

10 9 14 14

0

20

40

60

80

100

10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13

%

AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK LESS THAN ONCE A WEEK

Frequency use ABC website Now thinking about the ABC website. About how often would you personally visit the ABC website? Would it be at least once a week, less than once a week or never?

13 17 15 16 16 19 19 18

11 14 12 15 14

19 13 14 14 16 14 14 16

21 23 20 17 20 18 21

10 12 11 12

31 35 34 37 34

39 38 38

27 31 31 35 35

48 40 37 34

39 35

41 34

43 47

40 37 40 40

45

23 25 24 28

0

20

40

60

80

100

10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13

% AGE SEX

ABC TV /RADIO AREA



FIGURE 16

31


BASE: AGED 14+ NATIONALLY: TOTAL (n=1905, 1904, 1908, 1903); SEX: MALE (n=952, 952, 953, 952), FEMALE (n=953, 952, 955, 951); AGE: 14-17 (n=154, 150, 150, 150), 18-24 (n=187, 156, 165, 157), 25-34 (n=228, 258, 201, 246), 35-49 (n=491, 528, 613, 517), 50+ (n=845, 812, 779, 833); AREA: 5 CAP CITY (n=1088, 1089, 1093, 1090), COUNTRY/ REGIONAL (n=817, 815, 815, 813): ABC TV/ RADIO: HEAVY (n=1036, 894, 834, 851), MEDIUM (n=635, 698, 737, 710), LIGHT / NON (n=234, 312, 337, 342)

32

4.4 Online (cont’d)

4.4.2 Quality and amount of content on ABC website Among those who ever use the ABC website, the vast majority (86 percent) believe the quality of content is 'good', including 34 percent who rate it as very good (Figure 17). Although this is not significantly different from last year, it is below the peak level recorded in 20101. Nine-in-ten users also feel the site does a 'good job' on the amount of content it provides, with 41 percent describing it as very good. There is no significant change compared with last year (Figure 18). In order to provide a window into demographic patterns, the 2012 and 2013 results were averaged, and the age segmentation collapsed into three groups: 14 to 34, 35 to 49 and 50+. This means the demographic analysis is based on more robust sample sizes (Figure 19). This shows that the vast majority of users in each segment rate the site positively both on quality and quantity of content, though not surprisingly, those who use it more frequently are more enthusiastic in their rating of the site. 1.Based on small sample sizes within segments, the lower level in 2013 compared with 2010 relates

to very infrequent users of the site (those using it less than once a month), and is most pronounced among men and people under the age of 35.

34 34 32 38

29 34

28 28 32 30 33 36 34 34

92

83 90 89 87 89 89 88 91 89 91 89 89

86

0 6

3 2 3 2 3 4 3 3 2 4 2 4

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

1998 1999 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

%


ABC website - quality of content^ Do you personally think the quality of the content on the ABC website is good or poor?

9 11 7 9 10 9 8 8 6 8 7 7 9 9

BASE: AGED 14+ NATIONALLY WHO EVER VISIT ABC WEBSITE (n=115, 237, 365, 402, 453, 464, 471, 547, 514, 592, 633, 706, 680, 727)

GOOD

POOR

AMONG THOSE WHO EVER VISIT THE ABC WEBSITE

^ In 1999-2004 the question was asked in relation to 'quality of information'

Total good

Very good

Total poor

Very poor

FIGURE 17

33



39 34 31 35 37 38

42 37

41

93 89 90 92 91 93 92 92 91

2 6 4 4 4 3 3 3 3

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

1998 1999 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

%


ABC website – amount of content As far as the things you use the ABC website for, would you say the website does a good job, or a poor job, in terms of the amount of content it provides on those things?

5 5 5 3 5 4 5 6 5

BASE: AGED 14+ NATIONALLY WHO EVER VISIT ABC WEBSITE (n= 464, 471, 547, 514, 592, 633, 706, 680, 727)

GOOD JOB

POOR JOB

AMONG THOSE WHO EVER VISIT THE ABC WEBSITE

Total good

Very good

Total poor

Very poor


FIGURE 18

34


34 32 36 35 36 31 43

31 22

88 87 89 91 88 84 93 93 71

3 5 2 3 5 3 4 1 5

100 80 60 40 20

0 20 40 60 80

100

TOTAL MALE 35-49 FORTNIGHTLY/ MONTHLY

%

ABC website

9 9 9 7 8 14 3 6 25

GOOD

POOR

AMONG THOSE WHO EVER VISIT THE ABC WEBSITE – AVERAGE 2012 / 2013

BASE: AGED 14+ NATIONALLY WHO EVER VISIT ABC WEBSITE AGED 14+ NATIONALLY: TOTAL (n=1407); SEX: MALE (n=738), FEMALE (n=669); AGE: 14-34 (n=433), 35-49 (n=500), 50+ (n=474); FREQUENCY USE WEBSITE: AT LEAST WEEKLY (n=640), FORTNIGHTLY / MONTHLY (n=477), LESS OFTEN (n=290)

TOTAL MALE FEMALE 14-34 35-49 50+ AT LEAST FORTNIGHTLY / LESS WEEKLY MONTHLY OFTEN

NEITHER / DK

39 37 41 40 43 33

45 39 26

92 90 94 96 92 85 95 96 81

3 4 3 2 3 5 4 1 5

100 80 60 40 20

0 20 40 60 80

100

TOTAL MALE 35-49 FORTNIGHTLY/ MONTHLY

%


6 7 5 3 5 10 2 4 16

GOOD

POOR

NEITHER / DK

Quality of content

Amount of content

SEX AGE FREQUENCY USE WEBSITE

FIGURE 19

35

SEX AGE FREQUENCY USE WEBSITE

TOTAL MALE FEMALE 14-34 35-49 50+ AT LEAST FORTNIGHTLY / LESS WEEKLY MONTHLY OFTEN

36

4.5 Coverage of country news and information

Community perceptions about coverage of country news and information remain far more favourable for the ABC than for commercial media - both among people in capital cities and people in country/ regional areas (Figure 20). Eighty percent of Australians believe the ABC does a 'good job' covering country/regional issues compared with 45 percent for commercial media. Last year’s wave saw a decrease in positive sentiment about the ABC among people in capital cities, but there is no further loss in 2013. Conversely among people living in country/regional areas, there has been an improvement in perceptions about ABC coverage over the last couple of waves. For commercial media, sentiment is down in capital city markets compared with two years ago.

31 35 33 35

13 18

12 15

31 34 31 33

10 15

10 13

30 36 36 38

17 22

16 20

79 82 79 80

46 52

46 45

80 83 78 78

42 45 41 39

78 79 81 84

53

63 54 56

2 2 1 1

16 13 12 17

2 2 1 1

16 15 13 18

3 3 1 2

15 9 12 14 11

7 7 6

45 38

44 43

10 6 7 6

47 43 47 46

12 10 8 8

43

31 38 38

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13 10 11 12 13

%


Doing a good or poor job in country and regional areas

POOR

GOOD

Thinking now of news and information about things happening in country and regional areas of Australia. In your opinion, do ABC / commercial TV & radio stations & websites do a good job, or a poor job of covering things happening in country and regional areas of Australia?

BASE: AGED 14+ NATIONALLY: TOTAL (n=1905, 1904, 1908, 1903); AREA: 5 CAP CITY (n=1088, 1089, 1093, 1090), COUNTRY / REGIONAL (n=817, 815, 815, 813)

10 11 14 13 8 10 11 12 11 11 15 16 11 12 12 15 9 11 11 8 4 7 8 6

ABC COMMERCIAL ABC COMMERCIAL ABC COMMERCIAL

37

FIGURE 20



TOTAL FIVE CAP CITY COUNTRY / REGIONAL

38

4.6 Other specific charter obligations Respondents to the Appreciation Survey are asked if they believe the ABC is doing a 'good job' or a 'poor job' on nine other specific aspects of the ABC charter: The majority of Australians remain of the view that the ABC is doing 'a good job' in fulfilling each area (Figures 21 and 22). Compared with last year, for most aspects there has been a slight rise, after a dip last year, in the number who feel the ABC does a ‘very’ good job, but in only one case is the increase significant: encouraging and promoting Australian performing arts.

In relation to being balanced and even handed when reporting news and current affairs, the number who feel the ABC does a ‘poor’ job has increased slightly again after a small reduction last year. Conversely compared with 2010, there has been a small increase in the number who feel the ABC does a ‘very good’ job of being balanced and even handed. Overall though looking across the past three or four waves, the level of positive sentiment has decreased to some degree on a number of dimensions, matched by an increase in neutral (rather than negative) opinion. This reflects the pattern concerning attitudes to ABC TV and ABC Radio – which in turn appear to be the result of fewer 'heavy' users, and more 'non' users of each. Consequently it appears lower levels of behavioural connection with the ABC have resulted in fewer people having a view about it.

a) being innovative - that is trying to do new things and different types of programs

b) being balanced and even-handed when reporting news and current affairs

c) encouraging and promoting Australian performing arts such as music and drama

d) broadcasting programs of an educational nature

e) being distinctively Australian and contributing to Australia’s national identity

f) being efficient and well managed

g) broadcasting programs that are different from the sort of programs you would get on commercial television and commercial radio stations

h) having a good balance between broadcasting programs of wide appeal, and broadcasting programs that appeal to people with special interests

i) broadcasting programs that reflect the cultural diversity of the Australian community

48 48 48 49 48 47 50

47 48 42 44 42 45 47

44 50

47 50

31 36 35 37 36

33 38

34 36 37

40 39 41 40 39 42

39 42

34 38

35 37 40 38 41 40 42

91 88 87 89 92 89 87 86 85 85 86 85 86 88 86 84 82 83 84 84 85 83

86 85 83 82 80 84 84 84 84 86 84 83 83 82 82 83 79

81 83 82 81 80 78

3 3 4 3 3 4 4 4 4 6 3 4

3 4 4 3 3 3 7 5 5 6 6 6 5 6 6 8 6 5 6 6 7 5 5 5

9 6

10 9 11 9 10 7 11

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13

%


The Charter - doing a good or poor job

GOOD JOB

Now we’d like your opinion about other aspects of the ABC. Based on your own experience, or what you may have seen or heard, do you personally think the ABC is doing a good job or a poor job on each of the following?

BASE: AGED 14+ NATIONALLY (n=1900, 1900, 1903, 1902, 1900, 1905, 1904, 1908, 1903)

7 9 9 8 5 7 9 10 11 10 11 11 10 9 10 13 15 14 9 11 10 11 8 9 11 12 14 8 10 10 10 7 9 11 13 13 9 11 11 10 7 9 10 13 11

BROADCAST DIFFERENT PROGRAMS TO COMMERCIAL TV

& RADIO

BROADCAST PROGRAMS OF AN EDUCATIONAL NATURE

GOOD BALANCE / WIDE APPEAL / SPECIAL INTEREST PROGRAMS

DISTINCTIVELY AUSTRALIAN

BALANCED & EVEN-HANDED


39

FIGURE 21


POOR JOB

30 31 34 33 32 31

35 32 35 32 34

37 37 37 37 39 36

42

24 26 23

28 26 24 29

26 29

22 27 26 25 25 25

27 25 27

82 81 81 80 83

80 81 80 79 78 79 80 82 83 78 79 79 79

74 73 72 73 75 74 75 72 73 70 70 71

69 72 73

70 66 69

9 6 8 8 8 9 7 6 5 8 6 5 6 6 8 6 6 5 12 11 12 12 13 12 10 11 11

7 6 7 7 7 6 5 5 6

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13

%


The Charter - doing a good or poor job (cont’d)

POOR JOB

GOOD JOB

Now we’d like your opinion about other aspects of the ABC. Based on your own experience, or what you may have seen or heard, do you personally think the ABC is doing a good job or a poor job on each of the following?

10 13 11 12 10 12 12 14 16 14 15 15 12 11 13 15 15 16 14 16 16 15 12 14 15 18 17 23 24 22 24 21 21 25 30 25

BROADCAST PROGRAMS THAT REFLECT AUSTRALIAN CULTURAL

DIVERSITY

ENCOURAGING / PROMOTING AUSTRALIAN PERFORMING

ARTS

INNOVATIVE EFFICIENT / WELL MANAGED

BASE: AGED 14+ NATIONALLY (n=1900, 1900, 1903, 1902, 1900, 1905, 1904, 1908, 1903)

40

FIGURE 22



41

4.7 News and current affairs – being balanced and even handed

Perceptions about balance and even-handedness in reporting were explored in more detail among viewers and listeners1 of the ABC’s flagship News and Current Affairs programs:

– Television: 7pm News, 7.30 (previously 7.30 Report);

– Radio: The World Today, AM and PM. The vast majority of those who watch/listen to the respective programs believe it does a 'good job' of being balanced and even-handed – and in each case, around 45 percent of viewers/listeners believe it does a 'very good job'. Nonetheless the last few waves have seen a small negative shift in sentiment in relation to the 7pm News, with slightly fewer thinking the program does a ‘good’ job, and slightly more thinking it does a ‘poor’ job of being balanced and even-handed. Compared with last year, there has also been a small drop in the number of AM/PM listeners who feel the program does a ‘good’ job, and a small increase in the number of 7.30 viewers and World Today listeners who feel the respective programs do a ‘poor’ job. 1. Those who claim to 'ever' watch / listen to the respective programs.

43 49

43 41 44

40 48 46 47

43 44 45 41

45 42 45 39

43 44 41 39 41 36

40 44 42 44 44 42 40 42 38 39

46 41 45

94 95 95 94 96 95 94 92 91 91 93 89 90 90 88 90 87 87 88 89

82 85 89

85 87 90 85 88 85 83 83

88 86 85 84 85

3 2 3 3 2 3 3 4 5 5 4 7 6 6 8 4 6 7

2 2 4 3 1 3 4 2 4 1 1 3 2 1 2 1 3

100

80

60

40

20

0

20

40

60

80

100

05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13

%


ABC program does a good / poor job of being balanced and even handed

Thinking now about the extent to which ABC programs are balanced and even handed. For each of the following, please tell me if you personally think they do a good job or a poor job of being balanced and even handed when reporting news and current affairs. Firstly…

BASE: AGED 14+ NATIONALLY: WATCH / LISTEN TO SPECIFIC PROGRAM: ABC 7PM NEWS (n=1339, 1331, 1340, 1305, 1324, 1284, 1126, 1082, 1053), 7.30 (n=1285, 1270, 1237, 1266, 1261, 1231, 1046, 998, 1004),

AM / PM (n=694, 638, 690, 627, 681, 728, 679, 613, 647), WORLD TODAY (n=529, 487, 516, 500, 540, 540, 509, 432, 481)

GOOD JOB

POOR JOB

Total good

Very good

Total poor

Very poor

ABC 7PM NEWS 7:30 REPORT / 7:30# AM/PM THE WORLD TODAY

3 3 2 3 2 3 3 4 4 4 3 4 5 4 4 5 7 6 10 9 15 13 10 12 9 8 10 12 13 14 15 11 11 15 15 12

#PRIOR TO 2011 KNOWN AS 7:30 REPORT


42

FIGURE 23


POOR JOB

* LESS THAN 0.5 PERCENT

*

Documents

ABC Appreciation Survey June 2013 Summary Reportabout.abc.net.au/.../AppreciationSurveySummaryReport2013.pdf5 2. Background and objectives This report presents findings from the 2013