First choice

Ofcom has published the first of what will be a regular weekly survey about coronavirus coverage, with an online panel of 2,000.

The first results: people are most likely to turn to the BBC’s TV, radio and online services for the latest news on the pandemic (82%).

Public officials are the most trusted sources of news about coronavirus. Of those that use them, around nine in 10 people trust information provided by the NHS (95%), the WHO (94%), their local health services (91%) official scientists (90%), and the Government (89%).

83% of people trust coverage on BBC TV and Channel 4, followed by ITV (82%) and Sky (75%).

When asked to nominate their most important source for news/info about Covid-19, 36% say
BBC TV, 16% nominate direct from official sources (such as WHO, NHS, Govt, etc), 12% non-BBC
broadcasters, 12% BBC Online, and 5% social media. The pattern among 18-24s is slightly
different, with 11% nominating social media compared to 4% of those aged 35+, although BBC
TV (29%) is still the most important.