ASA releases 2022 Annual Report

29 May 2023

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has today released its 2022 Annual Report.

The report outlines the ASA’s priorities and provides a snapshot of key complaints statistics.

The ASA received 843 complaints about 345 advertisements in 2022, with advocacy advertising responsible for nearly 30% of the cases. This category includes advertising from Government agencies, interest groups and charities.

The Chair of the Complaints Board identified 143 of these advertisements to be reviewed by the Board and 102 were either upheld or settled – with the content to be changed or removed.

With a high level of industry support, voluntary compliance with ASA decisions in 2022 was 96%.

ASA Chief Executive Hilary Souter said the report reflects a shift in the ASA’s regulatory approach.
“In 2022, a reduction in our complaints to more normal levels allowed us to focus on increasing pro-active regulation through industry training and guidance.  One of the strengths of self-regulation is our ability to adapt in a dynamic media environment whether it be fluctuating complaint levels or developing new training and guidance tools.”

The report includes an overview of the ASA workload, breakdown of complaints statistics and the most complained about commercial and non-commercial ads. 

Click here to download a pdf of the ASA Annual Report.