More than 15,000 internet users were asked for opinions on whether reality TV shows have enough restrictions, in the wake of the Celebrity Big Brother racism scandal.

The over 50s were most likely to argue that there should be more regulation of this type of television, with 63 per cent in favour. Thirty-one per cent of those thought there should be a watchdog with powers to take these shows off the air if need be.

Younger respondents to Lightspeed Research's survey were more concerned about freedom of speech than offensive content. Fourty-three per cent of 18-24 year olds were against further regulation, as were 42 per cent of 25-34 year olds.

"It was interesting to see that key issues like freedom of speech and offensive content did generate differing responses amongst the age groups we questioned. With so many people watching TV, it's going to be a real challenge to understand where to draw the line," said David Day, chief executive of Lightspeed Research.

Surprisingly, only 10 per cent of respondents said they were not interested in the issue whatsoever.

The scandal surrounding the allegedly racist comments made by some housemates about Bollywood actress and eventual winner Shilpa Shetty had a disastrous effect for Ofcom's website, which collapsed under the strain of more than 35,000 people attempting to complain about the show.

http://www.lightspeedresearch.com/

More news via RSS Post item to Del.icio.us Post item to Digg.com

Back to index