Understanding the needs of media users in Wales: An analysis of UK-wide news and public knowledge about devolution
You can find the full report, including a PDF version, in English and Welsh here.
Executive Summary
Reporting the UK and devolved politics
Given the continued dominance of UK-based news in Wales, a content analysis of network news produced by leading broadcasters was carried out. This included analysing over 3000 social posts, online articles and TV news items on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky News between October and December 2025.
Social media
When posts had clear devolved relevance, over seven in ten posts (73%) did not state whether the issue applied to England only, such as in stories about health, education and transport. Just 13.2% of these posts included a reference to England (or England and Wales if a legal issue) to signal its relevance, whilst 13.8% explicitly named either Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland to made it clear a policy issue had devolved government responsibility.
Online news
Just over a third of all online articles (35.3%) did not provide any clarity about the story being relevant to either England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. For example, some online stories covered the ongoing junior doctors’ strikes without stating they were happening in England only.
Over seven in ten online articles (N= 167, 72%) included general references to “government” or “the government” without attributing it to a particular government at a UK-level or one of the devolved administrations.
Finally, we examined all online articles which included references to Secretaries of State where the devolved governments have an equivalent position (in education, say, or health) and found 65.9% of them did not state that it was a UK government responsibility.
Clarity of devolved reporting in TV news
Over half the items on TV news (57.4%) did not provide any clarity about the story being relevant to a specific nation, such as England, or England and Wales. For example, most broadcasters failed to mention that the “National Grooming Gangs inquiry” only related to England and Wales, as Scotland and Northern Ireland are responsible for policing and criminal justice.
Almost two thirds of TV news items (N=30, 63.8%) included general references to “government” or “the government” without attributing it to either the UK Government or one of the devolved administrations’ governments.
Finally, two thirds of TV news items - 66% (N=31) – included references to Secretaries of State (where the devolved governments have an equivalent position in education, say, or health), without stating it was a UK government responsibility or effectively relevant to England only.
Overall themes of coverage
Overall, the study discovered repeated patterns of coverage across different broadcasters and media platforms, which included:
News stories did not reference the relevance of an issue to England only (or England and Wales only) on social media posts, online news and TV news coverage.
On social media, when reporting policy issues posts did not regularly signpost the relevance to England only, although either the headlines or opening sections of online articles did.
There were many references to “the government” without stating UK government or to “you” or nationwide even when relevant to England only (or England and Wales.)
References to Secretaries of State did not regularly state their jurisdictions (e.g. UK Government Secretary of State of Health or Secretary of State for Health in England).
Few social media posts about the devolved nations (either Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland) and when such posts did appear, the stories were often quirky.
Very few news stories across social media sites, online news and TV news coverage compared and contrasted different approaches taken by the UK government and the devolved administrations.
Public Knowledge about politics in Wales
A Cardiff University/YouGov representative survey of 1544 people in Wales in February 2026 examined public knowledge and understanding of devolved politics, Welsh party leaders and the Senedd’s new voting system.
News consumption habits
Despite over 25 years of devolution, UK‑wide outlets remain the primary news source for many in Wales: 46% rely on UK news most often, such as BBC, ITV and Sky News, compared with 10% who mainly use Wales‑produced news; 34% say they use both equally and 10% are unsure. Online habits show a similar pattern (53% mainly UK‑wide sites vs. 14% Wales‑produced).
Knowledge of devolved powers
Policing: 69% were wrong or didn’t know who is responsible; 45% mistakenly attributed it to the Welsh Government, 31% correctly identified Westminster, 7% wrongly said Local Councils and 17% were unsure/didn’t know.
Broadcasting: 58% misidentified or didn’t know; 42% correctly said Westminster.
Economic development: 51% were unclear; 49% correctly named the Welsh Government and 30% incorrectly said Westminster.
Social care delivery: Knowledge was weakest: 81% were incorrect or unsure; only 19% correctly identified local councils as responsible.
Education: 70% correctly said Welsh Government; 30% incorrect/don’t know.
Health and social care: 69% correctly said Welsh Government; 32% incorrect/don’t know.
Transport: 65% correctly said Welsh Government; 35% incorrect/don’t know.
Immigration: 71% correctly said Westminster; 29% incorrect/don’t know.
Awareness of party leaders
Eluned Morgan (Welsh Labour) is known by 62% of survey participants, while Rhun ap Iorwerth (Plaid Cymru) is recognised by 47%.
Awareness of other leaders was markedly lower: Darren Millar (Welsh Conservatives) 21%, Jane Dodds (Welsh Liberal Democrats) 18%, Anthony Slaughter (Wales Green Party) 4%.
Nigel Farage (Reform UK) was almost universally recognised (94%). Dan Thomas, Reform’s new leader in Wales, is known by 10%.
Understanding the new Senedd voting system
When asked to describe the Senedd’s voting system, 58% said they didn’t know. Only 7% correctly identified the Closed List system, while 18% thought it was First Past the Post, 13% chose the Additional Member System, and 4% said the Single Transferable Vote.
Media use and views about UK-wide reporting
When presented with UK-wide examples of news stories on online and social media posts, respondents struggled to place stories in the correct constitutional context – misreading an England‑only junior doctors’ strike as being relevant UK‑wide and rarely selecting the correct combination of governments for housing and fracking responsibilities.
Public evaluations of UK‑wide coverage of Welsh politics were more negative than positive: 46% said UK‑wide outlets do a bad job, 28% a good job, and 26% were unsure.
Public attitudes to UK-wide and Welsh news media
Cardiff University/YouGov carried out three focus groups of people in Wales in February 2026 to explore public attitudes and understanding of UK-wide and Wales specific news media. The three groups included 1) 17-29 year olds with low political knowledge, 2) 30+ year olds with low political knowledge and those who frequently consume news via TV and 3) mixed ages with low political interest / engagement.
UK vs Wales specific news consumption
Most participants preferred UK-wide news over Wales specific news for three main reasons: 1) importance and relevance, such as covering events in Westminster, 2) more engaging range of stories, and 3) broader news agenda, including coverage of international affairs.
Understanding devolved politics in UK-wide reporting
When shown clips of UK-wide coverage of the junior doctors strikes, all participants appreciated reporting clearly saying “Doctors in England” since it was clearer, and generally more informative than coverage that did not state the relevance to England only.
When shown a social media post which referred to the Health Secretary, all participants were confused about which nation the story applied to and recommended a range of solutions to adding clarity, such as “NHS England” and “English Health Secretary”.
Participants preferred short, simple location references in news headlines. They felt that clear, minimal signposting makes information easier to consume, and that explicit mentions of Wales would increase their interest.
Overall, participants welcomed greater representation of all UK nations in national news, but felt regular nation‑based presentation should be used selectively and guided by news relevance.
What people want from news reporting
UK broadcasters were seen as applying uneven scrutiny, giving more attention to major parties than smaller ones.
When shown a clip of a journalist robustly questioning a Welsh party leader, participants felt the scrutiny was fair and well-executed and they would welcome it applied more consistently across UK and Welsh political interviews. They viewed this type of questioning important for holding politicians accountable and helping the public understand issues clearly.
Participants agreed that journalists tended to focus more on personalities and campaigns, when they would prefer more focus to be given to policy issues and how these policies will impact the public.
Many participants reported low confidence in understanding the differences between Welsh political parties ahead of the 2026 election. They were particularly interested in learning about parties’ plans for healthcare and the economy.
Participants were aware of Ofcom, the UK’s main media regulator, but unclear of its remit and as a result questioned its influence. While there was some support of Ofcom’s applying stricter regulation of UK broadcasters to improve network coverage of Wales and devolved politics, there was an overall scepticism about the regulator’s effectiveness and impact.
Public attitudes to UK-wide and Welsh news media
In February 2026 Cardiff University/YouGov carried out focus groups of people in Wales to explore public attitudes and understanding of UK-wide and Wales specific news media. This included three groups made up of: 1) 17-29 year olds with low political knowledge, 2) 30+ year olds with low political knowledge and those who frequently consume news via TV and 3) mixed ages with low political interest / engagement.
UK vs Wales specific news consumption
Most participants preferred UK-wide news over Wales specific news for three main reasons: 1) perceived importance and relevance, such as covering events in Westminster, 2) more engaging range of stories, and 3) broader news agenda, including coverage of international affairs.
Understanding devolved politics in UK-wide reporting
When shown clips of UK-wide coverage of the junior doctors strikes, most participants appreciated reporting stating “Doctors in England” since it was viewed as being clearer, and generally more informative than coverage that did not state the relevance to England only.
When shown a social media post which referred to the Health Secretary, all participants were confused about which nation the story applied to and recommended a range of solutions to adding clarity, such as “NHS England” and “English Health Secretary”.
Participants preferred short, simple location references in news headlines. They felt that clear, minimal signposting makes information easier to consume, and that explicit mentions of Wales would increase their interest.
What people want from news reporting
UK broadcasters were seen as applying uneven scrutiny, giving more attention to major parties than smaller ones.
When shown a clip of a journalist robustly questioning a Welsh party leader, participants felt the scrutiny was fair and well-executed, and would welcome this approach to reporting being applied more consistently across UK and Welsh political interviews. They viewed this type of questioning important for holding politicians accountable and helping the public understand issues clearly.
Participants agreed that journalists tended to focus more on personalities and campaigns, when they would prefer more focus to be given to policy issues and how these policies will impact the public.
Many participants reported low confidence in understanding the differences between Welsh political parties ahead of the 2026 election, and wanted more coverage about devolved issues and more clarity on what is not devolved.
Participants were aware of Ofcom, the UK’s main media regulator, but unclear of its remit and as a result questioned its influence. While there was support for Ofcom applying stricter regulation of UK broadcasters to improve network coverage of Wales and devolved politics, there was an overall scepticism about the regulator’s effectiveness and impact.