Odense: 80% of 'ghetto' residents watch Danish news

Odense: 80% of 'ghetto' residents watch Danish news

80% of the residents of the Vollsmose 'ghetto' (Odense) see Danish news on TV, according to research conducted by Mediehuset Vollsmose last year.

"We were pleasantly surprised. It was so remarkable that I can still remember it today," Mediehuset's manager, Benthe Vestergård, says of the results.

Benthe Vestergård spoke up after the recent debate about satellite TV. "It's important that we use factual data to prevent creating myths," she says.

The study also shows that close to 20% of the residents in Vollsmose watch news from abroad.

Pia Kjærsgaard thinks it's still a problem. "I'm glad if there are many people who watch Danish news. But that doesn't change the fact that they see a lot of Arabic TV. What would they otherwise do with all the satellite dishes?" she asks.

In any case, more people watch foreign news in the neighborhood compared to 2007. In 2007, 12% said they watched news from abroad, which increased to 19% in 2009.

Source: Fyens Stiftstidende (Danish)