Aim
The BBC created a poll to find out people's opinions towards different accents and languages across the British Isles. 5000 people took part in the poll
Methodology
The Poll was commissioned by BBC Audience and Consumer Research for BBC Voices
It was conducted by Greenfield Online and Cardiff University aided with the question design.
Polls were taken between 17th-26th November through the online survey.
Final Sample = 5,010 respondents (all 15+ years)
Gender Proportion = 49:51 (male:female)
Age 25-64 = over-represented
Age 15-24 and 65+ = under-represented
Social Class was not collected
63 local areas were used in the poll to ensure a wide geographical spread (weaknesses identified in Northern Ireland)
The sample isn't balanced for: gender, age, social class or demographics
97% of survey = English was their first language
26 % of survey = Spoke at least one language as well as English
Findings and Analysis
Ranked 1st - Sean Connery with his Edinburgh accent was voted most pleasant to listen to.
Ranked 2nd - Sir Trevor Macdonald (from Trinidad) based on his authoritative tone
Ranked highly - News reporter Moira Stewart and Piers Brosnan (from Ireland)
Respondents preferred accents most local to them...
Scottish respondents - Preferred Ewan Mcgregor (Perthshire accent)
English respondents - Preferred Hugh Grant
Welsh Respondents - Preferred Richard Burton and news reader Huw Edwards
Northern Irish Respondents - Preferred Terry Wogan
59% of respondents wished they had a different accent
66.6% of Northern Irish respondents wished they had a different accent
Most wished for a Standard English accent
7% (12% of Northern Ireland) would rather have a Southern Irish accent
75% think they hear a lot more accents in everyday life and on BBC TV/radio than they used to
78% enjoy hearing a variety of accents
Evaluation
The poll seemed to collect a large sum of results and was conducted by the BBC (a supposedly reliable source), however, it did not prove valid as the spread of respondents didn't take into account gender, age and social class. The poll took responses from a variety of areas within the British Isles, however, the age range was not valid. By over-representing and under-representing age ranges, the opinions were not varied and were limited to particular ages.
