Brits believe there are too many LGBTQ+ people and minorities on TV, alarming survey finds

A new YouGov poll has found that close to half the British public believe LGBTQ+ people and ethnic minorities are over-represented on TV.

The survey, of 1,000 people found that 44 per cent of the public believe LGBTQ+ representation on TV did not reflect an accurate view of the UK population.

It also found that 45 per cent of the public felt similarly about ethnic minorities, while only 26 per cent thought they were under-represented.

Shows such as The Last of Us, The White Lotus, Heartstopper and Euphoria have been huge hits in recent years, and all have been praised for their representation of LGBTQ+ people.

Census data for England and Wales published on 6 January revealed that at least 1.5 million people (3.2 per cent) identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual.

It also found that 262,000 (0.5 per cent) identify with a gender identity different from the sex they were assigned at birth.

Additionally, 18.3 per cent of people in England and Wales see themselves as coming from an ethnic minority.

GLAAD study found LGBTQ+ people ‘failed’ in the media

The YouGov figures show a striking difference compared with surveys in other countries, with France finding that only 19 per cent of its population believed ethnic minorities to be over-represented.

The UK also has a higher percentage of citizens than Italy, France, Spain, Chile and Australia who believe LGBTQ+ people are over-represented on TV screens.

Meanwhile, the survey suggests almost 60 per cent of Britons believe people classified as obese are under-represented in media, while almost half think disabled people are not seen enough on telly.

This is despite a study published by LGBTQ+ advocacy group GLAAD in December 2022 finding media representation is still failing LGBTQ+ people.

It found that only 20.8 per cent of films published by the seven highest-grossing film studios in the world included LGBTQ+ characters.

This represents an overall decrease of 1.9 per cent from previous figures reported by GLAAD in its annual reviews.

Studios such as Disney, Warner Bros, Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, and United Artists Releasing were all found to be lacking in representation of queer minorities.