Scots are the UK’S biggest complainers about adverts on TV and online

PEOPLE in Scotland are the UK’S biggest complainers about adverts on TV and online, research show.

Analysis by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found Scots were more inclined to lodge complaints than people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The ASA received 3,772 complaints from Scotland last year – proportionately higher than any other nation. The complaints from north of the Border accounted for 10.6 per cent of ASA cases in 2021 despite Scots making up 8.2% of the population.

Complaints from England were in line with its population make-up, while people Northern Ireland and Wales were less likely to object to ads.

The figures were revealed in the ASA’S annual report. A spokesman said: “We’ve analysed the figures for each home nation as a percentage of the UK population, providing us with an insight into distinct variations between the nations.

“Proportionately, people in Scotland are more inclined to lodge a complaint about an ad, whether on the grounds of mis-leadingness, harm or offence, than people in any of the other nations.

“As this is the first year we’ve run these figures there is no comparative data that enables us to identify any mid to long-term trends.

“While the reasons for complaints from Scotland being higher at a population level are unclear it could be explained, in part, by a national ad campaign the ASA ran between September 2020 and March 2021.

“It resulted in a statistically significant increase (56% v 50%) in Scottish adults who are now more certain that an organisation exists to complain to about advertising driven by those who had seen the ASA’S ad.”

Tesco’s festive TV campaign featuring Santa Claus bearing a Covid vaccine passport was the most complained about advert in 2021 across the UK. The ad received 5,064 complaints from antivaccination campaigners but the ASA said it did not breach any rules.