Stories from the grassroots: How the BBC helped citizens take action

Amber Rose

April 2007

The background

Beyond the Soundbite: BBC research into public disillusion with politics

• The turnout for the 2001 General Election was the lowest since World War 2.

• There is a noticeable trend towards mainstream political apathy.• A disconnection is evident between the current party political

system and the growth of interest in single issues.• Party boundaries in the political arena have blurred to the point of

overlap.

A quantitative study amongst 400 nationally representative 18-44 year olds

Passionate about local politics

“We are passionate about these issues but it’s frustrating because we can’t do anything about it, about these things that affect our lives every single minute of the day. Everyone has become so disillusioned with politics – it’s bland, boring and corrupt.”

Woman, 24-44, Leeds

What are the issues?

Taking action over issues

39% have taken some form of action in the last 12 months

Signed a petition 33% Contacted school 3%

Wrote a complaint letter 20% Boycotted animal testing 2%

Boycotted a product 8% Joined a union 2%

Attended a meeting 8% Contacted a politician 4%

Protested/demonstrated 4%

Why the BBC?

“The BBC needs to shift this establishment emphasis. Like the politicians, it needs to get back in touch with how the public are

feeling, how they are living, their issue-led beliefs, their hopes and fears. This is not about dumbing down, it’s about making politics

more accessible for all.”Beyond the sound bite, Feb 2002

Recommendations

• Programming needed for all• Educate people • Public input• Accountability

Recommendations made by The Research Business International

The idea

• Allow anybody to contribute to the site• Find other people in their area who care about the same issues• Give people the tools to help them get involved• Provide BBC information, facts, guides and content• Turn campaigns into a reality and broadcast their stories

The web does well at….

• Creating communities• Creating new technologies• Creating democracy

The BBC does well at…

• Being a reliable source for news and background content• Providing a wealth of information• Being trusted for its impartiality • Broadcasting local stories