Opinion Research
The MOA has commissioned research for many years into the views of the general public on mobile telecommunications planning and health and safety issues. They also commission research each year with local authority planning officers, to ascertain their views about how the operators approach planning their networks, and how well they consult local stakeholders on proposals for new base stations and masts.
MOA General Public Research 2012
Tracking the attitudes of the British general public in 2012 to mobile phones, masts, planning and health issues.
MOA General Public Research 2012
Previous research can be found below:
MOA_General_Public_Research_Autumn_2011.pptx
The planners research (2011) can be found here:
Staying Connected - mobile phones, masts and health (PDF 687KB)
Tracking the attitudes of the British general public and local authority planners 1999-2008
Ipsos MORI report
'Good Reception - continuing to address the needs of planners'
Ipsos MORI report 2005
Addressing the needs of planners
5.1 Million Mobile Broadband Connections
Mobile phones cannot work without a network of base stations (masts). There are approximately 52,500 base station sites (excluding microcells) in the UK. Only a third of these are large, free standing masts. A YouGov survey for MOA (Sept 2012) showed that nearly 8 out of 10 people recognise the link between masts and good mobile coverage. Mobile telecommunications are vital for the UK’s economic competitiveness and in promoting social inclusion. There are now over 81.6 million mobile subscriptions in the UK. Over 5.1 million customers now access mobile broadband services via a laptop and dongle, and 39 per cent of UK adults use their mobile phones for internet access. Tablet ownership rose to 11% of UK households.
No Established Health Effects
Mobile phones operate by using radio waves, similar to those that have been widely used for decades, for example in radio, TV and radar signals. A large number of studies over the last two decades have found no clear evidence of adverse health effects from the use of mobile phones or from phone masts.