University and Common Cause Foundation launch media values survey

Ahead of UNESCO’s Global Media and Information Literacy Week (24 - 31 October 2025) researchers at the University of Huddersfield and Common Cause Foundation are inviting UK media workers to participate in an anonymous survey exploring their personal values.

The research examines how personal values may influence editorial decisions and media output – and previous studies suggest that only a small number of media workers believe their personal values have no influence on their work.

Dr Kirsty Styles, lecturer in journalism at the University of Huddersfield, says, “Significant work has been done to understand the values of politicians and we think it’s time we knew more about another group who can influence things like our approaches to tackling key social issues like climate change. Values matter and we want to understand their role within this vital social service.”

"Our cultural values influence what we think and do," explains Elsie Roderiques, who leads the Values in the Media project at Common Cause Foundation. "The more we elevate certain values, the more pronounced they become. Since mainstream media has significant influence on shaping cultural values, understanding what media workers themselves prioritise could have important implications for how pressing social issues are covered and how we approach them as a society."

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The 10-minute questionnaire measures UK media workers’ personal values and their perceptions of the values of their fellow citizens. Questions are based on Shalom Schwartz's theory of basic human values, also used by the European Social Survey.

The survey also collects demographic data informed by the Reuters Institute’s UK Journalists in the 2020s research, which found that personal values ranked in the top-10 influences on media workers, cited as influential more often than journalism ethics when counting all responses from from “extremely” to “slightly influential.

The survey is anonymous, but participants can optionally provide contact details for follow-up interviews.

Who can participate?

The survey is open to anyone working in the UK media, including journalists, editors, producers, content creators, commercial teams and media academics.

Take the survey here, or scan the QR code below. and share with colleagues and friends:

https://tinyurl.com/ValuesInTheMedia.

About the project

This collaboration builds on Common Cause Foundation’s Values in the Media project, launched in 2022 following a decade of research into the power of values. Results will inform academic publications and conference presentations, with findings expected in the new year.

Who can I contact if I have any questions about the study?

Dr Kirsty Styles - k.styles@hud.ac.uk,  01484 258809/07786554008

Elsie Roderiques - eroderiques@commoncausefoundation.org