Fewer than half of BBC viewers who responded to a major questionnaire sent out by the broadcaster think the corporation is effective at being independent from the government.
More than 870,000 members of the public answered questions online about the BBC and its place in society.
While 91% of respondents said it was important for the BBC to be independent from the government of the day, only 43% said they thought it was succeeding effectively in practice. A further 38% said they thought it was ineffective.
BBC director general Tim Davie said the results showed "our audience wants an independent BBC, delivering high-quality programmes and content that they can trust".
The BBC invited audience members to have their say in a series of on-air promotions across TV and radio. It also sent emails to 40 million BBC account holders.
