R26 - What's a vox pop? (VIDEO)

A vox pop is where members of the public are questioned about opinions on something, which is a useful source of news.

Down below is an example of a vox pop. The video includes members of the public aged 20+ being asked what the watch on TV.
 

    

 

The media use vox pop for many reasons, such as:

 

to test public opinion and interest

to influence decision-makers

to forecast results of events

to stimulate public debate

to promote the newspaper, radio or television station, and make it more popular

Types of vox pops

There are three types of vox pop, and each has its place in the media - the full public opinion survey, the limited survey and the simple street poll.

Public opinion survey

This needs to be conducted scientifically by a company which specialises in such surveys. The data which they gather from carefully prepared questions is statistically analysed by computer.

All this costs big money. General elections in the UK and USA are now so carefully covered in advance by such surveys that the result on election day is seldom a surprise.

Limited survey

This can be carried out by journalists, using a structured questionnaire, and some statistical conclusions may be drawn from it. Its accuracy is limited, however, so any findings should be treated with caution.

Street poll

This does not attempt to gather statistical information; it is looking for good quotes. A random selection of members of the public are asked for their opinions on a given topic, and the best ones quoted. It is good to photograph them and publish their quote with their picture, or record their voices for broadcast.