Study links Peppa Pig and Harry Potter to international student choices
A study has found that British culture and figures such as Peppa Pig, Princess Diana and Harry Styles encourage international students to choose UK degrees.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A new study has found that British culture and famous figures are influencing international students' decisions to study in the UK. The research cited Peppa Pig, Princess Diana and Harry Styles among the icons that have encouraged students to come to Britain for a degree.
The survey of 2,500 international students found that fictional characters carry particular weight. More than 80% cited characters such as Peppa Pig, James Bond and Harry Potter as a key attraction. Harry Potter was the top draw for 22% of those asked. Mr Bean tied with James Bond, while Peppa Pig came fourth.
Real British figures and music also scored highly. British music was a major influence on more than 60% of those surveyed, with Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa named as examples. More than 50% mentioned British cultural icons, such as the late Queen, as a strong influence on deciding to study in the UK.
The report framed the findings as evidence that British cultural capital benefits UK universities. It noted that the weather is not always a selling point, joking through Peppa Pig that rain had stopped Peppa and George from playing outside. Even so, the conclusion was that the country's cultural appeal helps bring in the brainiest students.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | ITV |
|---|---|
| A study reported that British cultural and fictional icons, such as Peppa Pig and the late Queen, encouraged international students to study in the UK. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV1 put the study at the end of its lunchtime bulletin as a light cultural item. The tone was playful, using clips, rankings and a weather joke, but the core message was that British culture benefits universities. It name-checked Princess Diana and Harry Styles in the introduction without giving more detail on them.
- “what do Peppa Pig, Princess Diana, and Harry Styles have in common?”
- “According to a new study, they have all encouraged international students to come here to do a degree.”
- “It seems this is the Britain that foreigners are hoping to see.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.