Public Opinion through Text Messaging

The BBC's Watchdog programme made history this week, becoming the first British television programme to gauge public opinion by text message. The groundbreaking research, which shows that half the British public think the MMR vaccine is safe, has been developed and tested by research agency MORI.

'We have recruited a panel of 2,800 people who are willing to vote by text message anyplace, anywhere,' explains Doug Carnegie, Watchdog's editor. 'This is a highly innovative approach to encouraging audience interaction. It takes quick TV polling out of the tired format of a self-selecting group ringing in to have a rant. This is swift, but it's also more properly representative.'

MORI has developed and tested the new research technique. 'This is a cutting edge approach,' explains Joel Down, MORI's project director. 'Although not the same as a traditional opinion poll, we have been able to give Watchdog a credible new research tool.'

Using text messaging as a research technique also gives Watchdog access to a much wider sample of people than alternative methods such as Internet polling. 'Three-quarters of the British population use a mobile phone, compared to less than half who use the Internet, and text messaging is more socially inclusive,' explains Down. 'Texting is also much more immediate - and you can do it anywhere!'

1,814 members of the Watchdog panel responded to the programme's questions on MMR. Half thought the MMR vaccine was safe and a quarter thought it unsafe. More than one-third (37%) thought that more parents would be likely to use the vaccine if Tony Blair said his son Leo had received it, while half thought it would have no effect.

Watchdog will continue to conduct research by text message during the current series.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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