Recent figures published by a leading market research organisation portray the British public as grossly out of touch with reality when it comes to their understanding of topics such as Islam and benefits. The research published by Ipsos MORI highlights the disparaging misconceptions and inept ignorance of the British public, who, for instance, believe that £24 out of every £100 issued as benefits is spent fraudulently when in fact the real figure stands at approximately 70p. I'm no mathematician but the discrepancy between 0.7% and 24% is a damning indictment of the biased, radicalised beliefs of the British public.
Looking into the readership estimates of British newspapers provided by the National Readership Survey offers some insight into why such a discord between perception and actuality exists, with the two most read publications being The Sun and The Daily Mail. Therein lies the source of the problem and why the average citizen believes that 31% of people in the UK are immigrants when the true figure stands at 13%, why it is thought 24% of the entire British population are Muslims (actually 5%) and why most people are adamant that the most effective means of saving taxpayers' money would be to cap benefits at £26,000 per household (this would apparently save £290 million which is a paltry sum in comparison to other potential options, such as raising the pension age to 66, which would save £5billion).
The Daily Mail is infamous for its dangerous sensationalism and distorted exaggerations of current affairs. Not a day goes by where they haven't managed to track down the latest Islamic illegal immigrant who drives around in a range rover paid for by the diligent tax payer, who has swindled the system to jump the perpetual NHS waiting list for major operations and who lives rent free in a lavish stately home. What's worrying though is that a significant section of the public has clearly bought into the Daily Mail's inflated hyperbole and warped take on British society. The obsession with benefits and Islam has become an epidemic in society.
The Daily Mail's consistently melodramatic stance has evoked such strong emotion across the UK politicians can now shamelessly champion benefit cuts and glorify their tough stance, despite the obvious hardship these reforms are causing to vulnerable members of society. The increasing number of people who are becoming reliant on food banks formulates a substantial argument against the cap in benefits; naturally it was a topic left uncovered by the Daily Mail. Media organisations are no doubt guilty of selective reporting, but while indulging the demographics which constitute their reader base is a necessary evil in mass media you only need to look at other articles that the Daily Mail publishes to realise that their coverage goes beyond pandering to their readers.
One recent article in particular documents Islamic extremists in prison who have been threatening non-Muslim inmates who eat pork in front of them. The Mail highlights how the canteens are made up of 90% radicalised Muslims who are likely to commit terror atrocities in the future, before further stating that there are reports (not quotes, reports) that they all celebrated the death of Lee Rigby. Threatening behaviour in prison is no new phenomenon, so what deems this newsworthy? Well pretty much anything that helps exacerbate the apparent divide between Muslims and the "British" in any manifestation, be them prisoners or pensioners, is a story worthy of the Mail. Not only does this reek of negative integration but the manner in which they so brazenly hijack Lee Rigby's murder to manipulate deleterious emotion towards Islam is a move akin to that of the ever-expanding EDL. The article is a classic example of Daily Mail sensationalism which has contributed to the vulgar fabrication and grotesque caricature of society which it endorses; a parody the British public have seemingly bought into.
The research conducted by Ipsos MORI not only highlights a stark public ignorance it goes some way to demonstrating the growing thirst for blood in Britain, brought on by a media crafted war against benefit cheats and of course the apparent on-going struggle against Islamification; manufactured battles the public clearly think we are losing. Yes there is still a lot that can be done to reduce benefit fraud but the constant barrage of sensational stories of unemployed single mothers with 14 children and majestic mansions will only lead to hostility towards the benefits system in its entirety and ultimately lead to the persecution of the vulnerable. The witch hunt for malingerers who spend all day cruising round council estates in luxury 4x4s seems like a prodigious waste of time, effort and of course the tax payers money, all of which should clearly be aimed at properly educating the British public.