Jowell's report, 'What You Said about the BBC', which will contribute towards the Charter Review, found that the public has an overall satisfaction rating of 75% with the broadcaster. According to those questioned, the BBC is setting the standard for others to follow and is considered to have reliable, accurate and impartial news reporting, despite the damning claims of the Hutton Report in January.
Other highlights include a strong feeling among viewers that the BBC should be less accountable to the government and more accountable to licence-fee payers.
However, two-thirds of the 5,500 people who took part in the survey felt the licence fee should be scrapped.
The negative impact of the report states there was a marked, but not universal, perception that BBC programmes have declined in quality.
Jowell said: "The results are illuminating. 'What You Said about the BBC' contains both high praise and trenchant criticism. Most people indicated that they hold the BBC in high esteem, but there are concerns among a significant minority about a perceived decline in quality.
"One clear message that does come through is that the public wants a strong BBC, independent of government. As I have repeatedly said, this is the only certain outcome of the Charter Review.
"The findings in this report provide the baseline for us to now go forward and shape the BBC of the future."
The report by the culture secretary collates views from a major public consultation taken from December 2003 to March 2004 combined with results from wide-reaching survey research.
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