Ethnic Minorities Worse Off In Telly Ads

According to new research carried out by the Rowntree Trust and reported in the Observer, ethnic minorities appear in far fewer television commercials than their white counterparts. In a study of 665 different adverts shown between June and August of last year over 90% featured white actors compared to only 5.3% featuring non-white actors. The survey also found that non-white actors have less speaking roles and are more likely to be portrayed as sportspersons or musicians.

A comparison between the most popular adverts featuring white lead characters and black lead characters also revealed interesting findings. The most featured ‘white’ advert was for National Lottery and featured a National Park ranger winning on a scratchcard, while the most featured ‘black’ advert had an old Afro-Caribbean man lazing about in his tent in a desert.

Researcher Furzana Khan says: “The most frequently shown white main lead shows a man with responsibility having fun. The most frequently shown non-white ad has a poor man doing nothing.”

A full copy of the report can be obtained for £25 at 61 South Park Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8LF or by contacting the number below.

Greg Philo: 0141 956 2876