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It is not just newspapers that reported in a biased way, and as a result influence public opinions. Over the last few years we have seen a rise of so-called "poverty porn" programmes - such as Channel 4's Benefit Street - depict benefit claimants as lazy drug users and criminals. Benefit Street claims that 90% of the residents in James Turner Street where the programme is filmed are on out of work benefits. This is a myth. The 2011 census for that post code revealed that once children, pensioners and students are taken out of the equation the actual figure of residents on benefits is 30% (Census, 2011). Therefore, it appears that programme makers such as Love Productions (producers of Benefit Street) can manipulate statistics to push the current narrative that benefit claimants are 'lazy' and 'scroungers'. .
Propaganda has been used by governments throughout time to try and influence the public's attitude to further an agenda. This is often done by selectively presenting statistics or facts to the public through media such as newspapers and television. Politicians often use generalised emotive language such as 'moral', 'hardworking' or 'reform'. By using emotive language or loaded messages it is intended to gauge an emotional response rather than a rational one. Current Conservative Party members repeatedly state that benefit claimants are costing the economy millions. By repeating this claim over and over this helps to change public perception even if the statement is false.
This propaganda seems to be working as a way of changing attitudes. According to British Social Attitudes Survey data, almost two-thirds of the public in 2011 (62%) thought unemployment benefit was too high and discouraged work. In 1993, during the last recession, it was 24% (Park et al., 2012). This highlights a vast change in social attitudes towards benefits claimants over the last two decades.