BBG, Gallup Partner on Research

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BBG, Gallup Partner on Research
Washington, D.C. — The Broadcasting Board of Governors and Gallup today detailed the ways in which their new partnership is helping the BBG inform, engage and connect with people worldwide in order to better serve their needs and support U.S. foreign policy and national security goals.
“This partnership with Gallup comes at a critical juncture for U.S. international broadcasting,” BBG Governor Michael Meehan said at an event bringing together analysts from think tanks, government and academia. “Research is key to knowing our audience so we can serve them better and be even more effective with the limited resources we have.”
BBG Director of Strategy and Development Bruce Sherman noted that the agency had conducted audience studies through other means for years. But he added, “Gallup’s industry-leading research will play a key role in helping the BBG accomplish the objectives in our new strategy, Impact through Innovation and Integration.”
At the event, Gallup presented the findings of a new global study of audience attitudes toward the media.
A median of 65% of adults in 133 countries say the media in their countries have a lot of freedom, but vast pockets of skepticism remain, particularly in the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, and former Soviet Union countries, the data show.
Gallup researchers Cynthia English and Lee Becker reported that only 23 percent of respondents in Belarus believe media in their country have a lot of freedom, the lowest percentage of the countries surveyed. Next was Gabon, with 27 percent; Armenia, 29 percent; Mauritania, 29 percent; Congo Brazzaville, 30 percent; Palestinian Territories, 32 percent; Congo, 32 percent; Angola, 32 percent; Zimbabwe, 37 percent; Chad, 37 percent; and Iraq, 38 percent.
With few exceptions, perceived media freedom is highest in developed countries in Asia, Europe, and North America. They include: Finland, 97 percent; Netherlands, 96 percent; Australia, 94 percent; Ghana, 93 percent; Germany, 92 percent; Sweden, 92 percent; Canada, 92 percent; United Kingdom, 92 percent; New Zealand, 92 percent; Ireland, 91 percent; and Denmark, 90 percent. The U.S. figure was 87 percent.