Is the licence fee worth it? Poll discussion

Tetsuko

Dan29 wrote: »

Yep that's true. However the percentage of people who own a car and never use it is probably similar to the percentage of people who own a tv and don't use any BBC service, i.e. tiny.

I don't believe that to be true in the slightest. I'm sure that there are alot of people who don't use the BBC and it is sheer arrogance to presume otherwise but it's irrelevant anyway. If I can't afford to pay for my car to be on the road or the tax I would still have the choice to take my car off road.

If I can't afford to pay my TV tax I have to sell it or risk being put in prison.

I am in affect being forced to pay for state funded television under the threat of imprisonment.

Dan29

Tetsuko wrote: »

I don't believe that to be true in the slightest. I'm sure that there are alot of people who don't use the BBC and it is sheer arrogance to presume otherwise

You may have missed my earlier post:

Dan29 wrote: »

92.5% of the UK population tune in to BBC television or radio in an average week.

84.4% watch BBC television in an average week, with 78.4% watching BBC One.

For BBC radio the figures are 66.4% for all stations, 19.9% for local radio, 18.7% for Radio 4, 26.5% for Radio 2 and 21.4% for Radio 1.

Tetsuko

Dan29 wrote: »

You may have missed my earlier post:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan29
92.5% of the UK population tune in to BBC television or radio in an average week.

84.4% watch BBC television in an average week, with 78.4% watching BBC One.

For BBC radio the figures are 66.4% for all stations, 19.9% for local radio, 18.7% for Radio 4, 26.5% for Radio 2 and 21.4% for Radio 1.

Well in a quick poll of my boyfriend, my son and his girlfriend, no one has asked our opinions of that so that's four members of the population they missed out. And I know of at least two people who do not own TV sets and have screen projectors to watch DVD's and play games on. I wonder how many other people these stats conveniently missed out.

Originally Posted by Dan29
"92.5% of the UK population tune in to BBC television or radio in an average week"

And what people were polled exactly? It's no good asking BBC listeners/watchers/readers and then trying pass off the stats as everyone elses opinions. Lies, damned lies and statistics :rotfl:

Dan29

Tetsuko wrote: »

Well in a quick poll of my boyfriend, my son and his girlfriend, no one has asked our opinions of that so that's four members of the population they missed out. And I know of at least two people who do not own TV sets and have screen projectors to watch DVD's and play games on. I wonder how many other people these stats conveniently missed out.

Originally Posted by Dan29
"92.5% of the UK population tune in to BBC television or radio in an average week"

And what people were polled exactly? It's no good asking BBC listeners/watchers/readers and then trying pass off the stats as everyone elses opinions. Lies, damned lies and statistics :rotfl:

http://www.barb.co.uk/ - the figures are used by all major UK broadcasters.

Tetsuko

I used to fill in some booklets that used to survey TV viewing and radio listening. There would be one booklet that had timetables of TV programs and radio. You had to tick the boxes of what you watched.

Then there was another booklet that had specific questions regarding particular programs or asking questions about which celebrities you considered to be on the up, on the way down or out altogether.

As my interest in the type of rubbish that was being shown on TV dwindled to near nothing and it was getting pointless even getting the booklets as some weeks I didn't watch any TV programmes whatsoever, I stopped bothering to fill them in.

I was just wondering if these are the types of surveys that these broadcasters are basing their stats on. If they are then there needs to be a fundamental overhaul of the whole process. Surely they will only be filled in by people who are actually watching TV consistently. They won't be providing a representative sample at all.

Anyway it's all irrelevant to the basic arguement regardless. I shouldn't be made to pay for another person's entertainment. Maybe they would like to throw the licence fee in with my TV/phone/internet bundle so that the licence fee payers can subsidise my internet usage so my bf doesn't have to pay so much

Tetsuko

OMG I just checked the site anyway:

"This is obtained from a panel of 5,100 homes
"These homes return data from around 11,500 viewers"

Firstly 11500 is not a very representative sample of the approximately 60000000 odd people we have in this country. Hell 5,100 homes wouldn't be a representative sample in the relatively small city I live in. They are extrapolating 11500 to make assumptions about 60 million people, give or take a few people who are too ickle to watch it anyway

Secondly it says it is data returned from "viewers". That would be people who sit viewing it. They are not asking the people who think it is a pile of pants and are sitting upstairs on their puters debating the tv licence on moneysavingexpert

Incidently my TV is on downstair and currently being watched by no one but the cat. Does my cat count as a viewer?

squirreltufty

Tetsuko wrote: »

OMG I just checked the site anyway:

"This is obtained from a panel of 5,100 homes
"These homes return data from around 11,500 viewers"

Firstly 11500 is not a very representative sample of the approximately 60000000 odd people we have in this country. Hell 5,100 homes wouldn't be a representative sample in the relatively small city I live in. They are extrapolating 11500 to make assumptions about 60 million people, give or take a few people who are too ickle to watch it anyway

Secondly it says it is data returned from "viewers". That would be people who sit viewing it. They are not asking the people who think it is a pile of pants and are sitting upstairs on their puters debating the tv licence on moneysavingexpert

Incidently my TV is on downstair and currently being watched by no one but the cat. Does my cat count as a viewer?

... just like some on here are trying to extrapolate from the MSE poll? :rolleyes:

BARB surveys are carefully designed to be representative of the population. The MSE poll is "just a bit of fun", using a sample of people who don't like parting with their cash.;)

Tetsuko

squirreltufty wrote: »

... just like some on here are trying to extrapolate from the MSE poll? :rolleyes:

BARB surveys are carefully designed to be representative of the population. The MSE poll is "just a bit of fun", using a sample of people who don't like parting with their cash.;)

How can it be representative of the population? It is measuring the viewing of those people only who have agreed to have their television viewing in their homes measured. It's admits on it's own website that it is only estimating viewing figures. Their data is at best an exaggerated educated guestimate.

If that is their idea of being representative of the population I am very relieved that they are not allowed to use thier statistical methods and sampling methods in the the food, import, medical, or any other industry for that matter :eek: It's not just the TV that would be rubbish, I wouldn't feel safe eating food, taking medicines or well anything really :rotfl:

Anyway, it's all a pile of pants. Their is no justification for the tax. The BBC are never going to give the public a choice because they know that people will vote with their feet.

impy78

Tetsuko wrote: »

Incidently my TV is on downstair and currently being watched by no one but the cat. Does my cat count as a viewer?

You can't afford a TV licence, yet you have money to burn leaving the TV on when no-one is watching?

Tetsuko

impy78 wrote: »

You can't afford a TV licence, yet you have money to burn leaving the TV on when no-one is watching?

I live with my boyfriend and he pays for it. I didn't have a TV licence for 13 years after I moved out from my parents house.

Anyway that's irrelevant really. It doesn't matter that I am in the dire financial situation I am at the moment or if I had just won several million on the lottery, I would still begrudge paying for something I don't use (and if/when I do it is because I may as well, seeing as I am being forced to receive it regardless) and other people are taking advantage of my licence fee paying for the service that they want.