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Attitudes to media regulation

8 Oct 2012

Q. The Government is planning to propose new rules about how we regulate the ownership of media in Australia (that is, print, TV, radio and online media).  Which of the following statements is closer to your view on media ownership?

 

Total

Vote Labor

Vote Lib/Nat

Vote Greens

The Government should remove restrictions on ownership and let market forces determine who owns print, TV, radio and online media.

11%

7%

18%

7%

The Government should take greater steps to limit ownership that big media companies currently have over mainstream media (e.g. News Ltd).

34%

46%

21%

63%

The present regulations, which prevent companies owning print, TV and radio in the same market, are about right.

29%

27%

37%

20%

No opinion

26%

21%

25%

11%

The largest portion of respondents believe that the ‘Government should take greater steps to limit ownership that big media companies currently have over mainstream media’ (34%), followed by those respondents that believe that the ‘present regulations, which prevent companies owning print, TV and radio in the same market, are about right’ (29%).

Only 11% of respondents favour ‘removing restrictions on ownership and let[ting] market forces determine who owns print, TV, radio and online media’.

Greens voters are the most likely to favour greater regulation of ownership (63%), followed by Labor voters (46%).

Coalition voters are the most likely to favour the status quo (37%).

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