Tag Archives: YouGov

Benefits Street: Good TV, and Fair

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Amongst people who have actually watched Benefits Street, most say that it is good TV and that it fairly portrays life in impoverished communities

BenefitsStreet_logo_wA new YouGov survey finds the programme is a big hit with viewers, and amongst those who have actually watched it, the majority do not think it is unfair or in bad taste.

Read more here.

Here is some of the YouGov Survey.

Ever since it first aired on 6th January, Channel 4’s Benefits Street has caused outrage. After episode one, a number of James Turner street residents who appeared in the programme said they had been lied to about its intentions and wrongly portrayed; after episode two, Channel 4 said they would be given right of reply in a live TV debate; by episode four, it has received 1,700 complaints.

Now a new YouGov survey finds the programme is a big hit with viewers, and amongst those who have actually watched it, the majority do not think it is unfair or in bad taste.

A sizeable third (33%) of the population have seen at least some of Benefits Street on TV. Of those, 78% say they might or will definitely watch it again and only 20% say they probably or definitely will not.

Unambiguously, 62% of viewers say the programme is ‘good TV’ while only 30% say it is bad TV.

Most interestingly, amid claims that “[James Turner] street has been turned into a zoo and the residents feel like they are exhibits”, viewers who say the programme is fair outnumber those who say it is unfair two to one.

59% of viewers say Benefits Street “fairly portrays what life is like in impoverished communities and the difficult issues it brings up”, while 23 say it “unfairly portrays poor people and creates resentment towards people in real need”.

Further, people who are actually claiming some kind of benefits are more likely to say the programme is fair (34%) than unfair (24%). 28% of those not claiming benefits say the programme is fair, and 22% say it is unfair.

The series finale airs on Channel 4 on Monday 10th February.

Do you agree?

7 in 10 women would do same as Angelina Jolie

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Angelina Jolie has breasts removed. Almost seven out of every ten women say they would undergo a preventive double mastectomy if tests indicated they were at a high risk of breast cancer 

A new YouGov poll finds that nearly seven in 10 women in Britain would have a double mastectomy if genetic tests suggested they had a very high chance of developing breast cancer.

On Tuesday, Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie announced in a widely reported editorial for the New York Times titled “My Medical Choice” that she had undergone a double mastectomy as a preventive measure against breast cancer. Jolie said that doctors estimated that she “had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer” due to a “faulty” gene, BRCA1, which increases cancer risk.

68% of women say they would have all natural breast tissue removed and replaced with implants if genetic tests suggested a very high probability of developing breast cancer.

The YouGov survey also found that in identical proportions British women and men would undergo preventive surgery if tests suggested they were at a very high risk of a particular cancer. 70% of Britons say they would in principle undergo surgery to prevent the development of a cancer if tests suggested there was a very high chance of it developing, including 70% of men and 70% of women.

Asked if they would have genetic tests to screen for susceptibility towards particular types of cancer, and 64% of British adults say they would, including 62% of women and 66% of men.

One in five (21%) worry that there is a type of cancer they are particularly susceptible to because of family medical history.

Over 1 in 5 UK adults openly admit to buying counterfeit fashion

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22% of people have knowingly bought counterfeit fashion items, with a further 10% saying they may have bought a fake item but can’t be sure. Only 34% of people say they know for sure they have never purchased fake fashion. The results were taken from an online survey of over 2,000 UK adults commissioned by luxury fashion resale site VestiaireCollective.com and YouGov* to ascertain the nation’s attitudes towards counterfeit fashion.  According to ECCIA (European Cultural and Creative Industries Alliance) counterfeiting in Europe has grown by 5% in 2011, totalling losses of over 14 million euros.

 

The most popular counterfeit items those surveyed admitted to buying were ‘designer’ handbags, with 31% of respondents who had bought fake items saying they had picked up some replica designer arm candy. The second most frequently purchased fashion items were fake designer sunglasses and watches (24% respectively).

 

The most common reasons why UK adults buy fake fashion were to avoid paying designer prices (20%), and when they unknowingly purchased items online which appeared to be genuine but were actually fake (17%). Only 2% said they would buy fake fashion to emulate the style of a celebrity or someone they admire.

 

Younger people in the 25-34 age group were the most likely to knowingly buy fakes, with 24% saying they had bought counterfeit items. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the 55+ age group were the least likely to shop for fakes, with only 13% saying they had bought something they knew was not genuine. Men and women were just as likely to be culprits (18% vs. 17% respectively).

 

Sarah Bush, UK Marketing Director of Vestiaire Collective said: “Some people are complacent about buying ‘fake fashion’, seeing it as a chance to get an expensive look at a cheap price. But fake items can’t match the real deal for quality and craftsmanship – with a designer item you are investing in something which will look great and last for years to come“

 

She continued: “Instead of buying fake items, we encourage anyone who is set on picking up a designer item to buy authenticated pre-owned fashion. Pre-owned is an affordable way to experience real luxury items, and you can even resell items at a later date. We have over 8000 designer handbags for sale at Vestiaire Collective, with average prices ranging from 50-70% off RRP.”

 

In February 2012 Vestiaire Collective signed a charter against the sale of counterfeit goods with luxury brands including Céline, YSL, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Hermès. Vestiaire Collective employs a team of counterfeit experts at their Paris headquarters who verify each and every fashion item bought and sold on the site, working closely with designer fashion brands to analyse the correct stitching, materials etc.

 

How to Spot a Fake Fashion Item – Top Tips from Vestiaire Collective’s Counterfeit Spotting Team:

 

1.       Only look at reputable websites. Shop at recognisable sites – all of your well-known favourites – for straight discounts. Don’t be tempted to shop sites you are unfamiliar with, especially those with ‘discount’ or ‘cheap’ in the URL.

 

2.       Familiarise yourself with your favourite brands. Don’t be shy to check out items at a brand’s shop or concession in a department store. Inspect the item carefully and you’ll have better instincts as to what may not be right with a product.

 

3.       Look at the hardware. On items such as handbags, the zipper should move smoothly and the pull should be heavy in feel. All other hardware should be similarly heavy and not hollow. There shouldn’t be any discolouring or signs of the metal flaking off.

 

4.       Check the handles and look inside. The stitching should be in a straight line and the thread should be strong and not frayed or pulled. The leather should be smooth and match the bag in the way it does on the product you saw in the store. The same is true inside; if the fabric looks strange or exceedingly cheap, it’s likely a fake.

 

5.       Logo. If the logo on a handbag, shoe or garment is upside down, sideways, cut off or somehow not right, again, you are likely looking at a fraudulent product.

Politicians ‘Least Trusted Profession in UK’.

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POLITICIANS VOTED LEAST TRUSTED PROFESSION IN THE UK

The RatedPeople Trust Index, calculated from four different attributes, has today revealed that politicians are the least trusted profession in the UK from a list of professions, coming bottom for reliability, honesty and quality of work.

The research of 2,054 adults, conducted by YouGov on behalf of the online trade recommendation service, assessed a range of different professions on four criteria: value for money, honesty, reliability and quality of work. Politicians were most likely to be voted as poor or very poor for reliability (62%), honesty (70%) and overall quality of work (57%), performing worse than both bankers and estate agents despite the maligned public image of these professions.

However, politicians managed to place ahead of premiership footballers in one category, value for money, where premiership footballers fared considerably worse, perhaps as a result of their multi-million pound annual salaries (76% rated footballers as poor or very poor value for money, compared to 60% for politicians.) By comparison, teachers enjoyed a clean sweep coming top across the board on the four criteria.

The research highlights which professions are trusted most by the British public, and of the different types of tradesmen included in the list, gardeners topped the list, however they came second overall across all the professions, to teachers for reliability, value for money and honesty. Electricians were named as the tradesmen that provide the best quality of work (50% rated the quality of electricians’ work as good or very good).

Perhaps because of the trade’s reputation for cowboys, and reflecting the 2.5 million disputes that happen every year, builders were named as the least trusted tradesmen nationally, scoring the lowest marks of all the trades assessed.

The UK’s most trusted professionals from our list are as follows:

1. Teachers

2. Gardeners

3. Electricians

4. Plumbers

5. Roofers

6. Builders

7. Bankers

8. Estate Agents

9. Premiership Footballers

10. Politicians

Rated across all four criteria: value for money, reliability, honesty and quality

RatedPeople.com’s brand ambassador and celebrity gardener, Toby Buckland, commented:

“I’m delighted to see gardeners made it to the number two spot in this research.

“Perhaps the reason that we have fared so well in the study is that gardening is a labour of love, it’s very easy for people to see the amount of hard work that goes into doing a gardening job and the results can completely transform an outside space.

“Building trust with your customers is an essential part of being a gardener if you want to achieve the best results for them. Trust ensures that they take your recommendations on board and have the confidence to rely on you to achieve the highest standards. Like so many in the trade, our reputation as professionals is built on this.”

The RatedPeople.com Trust Index also assessed which attributes are most likely to cause people to feel distrust when they first meet them. For more than two thirds (68%) of Brits, they are most likely to distrust a person if they have bad manners. This is followed by poor eye contact (52%), an unkempt appearance (40%) and being inarticulate (28%).

Brits aren’t a superficial bunch however, as being shorter (0%), unattractiveness (1%) and being younger (2%) were least likely to be cited as factors that make the most difference when it comes to deciding whether to trust someone. A further 1 in 10 (9%) people said that there are no attributes that would cause them to feel distrust. With actions speaking louder than words for these people, the four trust criteria are all the more important for helping to build a positive impression of a profession.

The features that will most make a Brit distrust someone are:

1. Bad manners

2. Poor eye contact

3. Unkempt appearance

4. Being inarticulate

5. A weak handshake

6. Badly dressed

Tariq Dag Khan from Rated People commented:

“They say that you form an opinion on someone within the first 30 seconds of meeting them, and our research has shown that a person’s behaviour can make all the difference.

“Builders, like other tradesmen, need to improve their image. Shows like Cowboy Builders and Rogue Traders taint the reputation of all tradesmen when in fact the vast majority of them deliver a job well done and at good value. One way for them to counter the unfair misperceptions is to improve communication with homeowners, as not doing so can fuel distrust. What helps is to be clear upfront about each project, starting with: what work is required; when it will be completed; and at what cost.

“Investing in home improvement can be a major commitment. So it helps when homeowners can be sure that the people they’re hiring to carrying out the project can be trusted to do the job right. Services like RatedPeople.com give consumers the confidence to know what they are getting before they take the plunge. The service works like word-of-mouth, by allowing homeowners to review the recommendations of thousands of other homeowners as part of the hiring process. It also allows tradesmen to build a profile for the great work they’re doing. This only helps to boost their trust ranking, so that next year they top the chart.”