BBC researching emotional reaction to news

Through the partnership, BBC Global News will use Maru/Matchbox’s implicit association testing tool in its insights panel community of BBC viewers, BBC Global Minds.

Results will be used to help identify which subject areas are ‘emotionally most important’ to audiences, according to Maru/Matchbox.

The BBC Global Minds panel has 35,000 members in 211 countries and is used to test creative and measure audience perceptions for the organisation’s news outlets and advertising partners globally.

Steve Brockway, chief research officer at Maru/Matchbox, said: “This is a challenging time for any business. Brands are facing dilemmas that they’ve never faced before. By capturing audience’s implicit, emotional reactions to news coverage, BBC Global News can ensure their platforms remain relevant and a source of trusted information on the topics that matter most during this time of crisis.”