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The two demographics rarely seen in UK TV ads

The report, commissioned by Channel 4 as part of its Mirror on the Industry project and carried out by the agency Tapestry, found that other groups such as pregnant women and disabled people are also being sidelined — The report, commissioned by Channel 4 as part of its Mirror on the Industry project and carried out by the agency Tapestry, found that other groups such as pregnant women and disabled people are also being sidelined (PA Archive)

Research commissioned by Channel 4 found that pensioners, pregnant women, and disabled people are significantly underrepresented in UK television advertising.
Over-70s, who make up nearly 14 per cent of the UK population, featured in just two per cent of adverts last year.
Pregnant women appeared in only 0.1 per cent of adverts, and disabled people, despite being nearly one in five of the population, featured in just four per cent of campaigns.
Conversely, Black people were significantly over-represented, appearing in over half of adverts in 2022, a sharp increase from 2020, despite comprising around four per cent of the population.
Marcus Ryder, chief executive of the Film and TV Charity, stated that this imbalance highlights the critical need for broader diversity among decision-makers within the industry.

Pensioners massively underrepresented in TV adverts, research finds — In full