Below is the analysis of my questionnaire, looking at the answers it has enabled me to think about the relevance the questions

had to my research. It also allowed me to get a feel for the publics opinions and how these will have an affect on my soap trailer and magazine.

Soap Opera Audience Questionnaire Please tick the boxes that apply to you:

1) Are you male or female?

Male (22)

Female (28)

This is just an indicator for me as to whom is answering my questionnaire. I purposely asked around the same amount of male and females, as this gives me a variety of different opinions from both genders.

2) How old are you?

15 - 25 (7)

26 - 35 (11)

36 - 45 (16)

46 - 55 (9)

56 - 65 (5)

66+ (2)

The results show that the majority of people whom answered my questionnaire were between the ages of 36 and 45, although once again I purposely asked a variety of ages so that I could get opinions from different ages. As all age groups will have different opinions and views.

3) Do you currently watch Soap Operas?

Yes

(47)

No (3)

These results show that the majority of people who answered my questionnaire do currently watch soaps, which means they are more likely to take an interest in what I will be creating. The following questions are not answered by all people as most of them are related to Soaps and therefore people who don't watch them will not have an answer. As 47 people out of 50 currently watch soaps, it suggests that there is a big target audience for soaps operas. All people will have different factors that they like about soaps, so there being so many people that have an interest means my soap is likely to have a wide audience.

4) If yes, how often?

Every night (19)

Once or twice a week (21)

Occasionally (5)

Rarely (2) This question indicates how committed to watching soaps the public are. The majority of people watch them once or twice a week, which would suggest if they aren't busy and they are on then people will watch them. With 19 people watching them every night, this would suggest that it is part of their routine to sit down in the evening to watch them. Prime-time television seems to be the most popular as this is when many families sit down and watch television, many parents whom have finished work, had dinner and housewives whom have finished all their chores, as the evening may be the only time they get to sit down and relax.

5) What Soaps do you watch or have you watched?

Eastenders (48)

Emmerdale

(33)

Coronoation Street

(41)

Home and Away (22)

Neighbours (26)

Hollyoaks

(32)

if other, please specify...............................

Doctors (3) Dallas (1) This question was for me to discover what soaps may be more popular than others. It seems that all the soaps that I stated on the questionnaire were all rather popular and looking at the amount of people that picked more than one soap this suggests that many people watch several different soaps. As all soaps are different in their own way, it seems that viewers may like them for different reasons to. For example I watch a variety of different soaps and enjoy them all because of the different locations they are filmed, the different characters and the storylines. Such as the younger characters in Hollyoaks that I feel I an relate to as they are at school and around the same age as me and in Emmerdale I like the fact that it is filmed in a rural area as that seems so unusual for so much action to happen in somewhere so quiet and isolated.

6) If you watch Soaps, what is it you like about them?

The characters (43)

The location (32)

The storylines (39)

Please specify any other things you like...................................

The properties, like the pubs (1)

The time they are on (1) I felt this question would help me to understand what it is about soaps that people like. It seems that lots of people liked all 3 factors that I stated, suggesting that people watch soaps for more than one reason. It would seem that all 3 factors are important and will have an effect on the viewers, therefore these will need to be considered when I create my own soap. The time that they are on was mentioned by 1 person, which may also mean that other people think that but didn't think to write it down. Although the time they are on would seem like a positive as so many people seem to watch soaps, as seen by question 3.

7) Do you feel that you can relate to the characters?

Yes (39)

No (8)

Viewers being able to relate to the characters in soaps seems important as this is was a popular factor as to what people like about soaps. Many people watch them as they can see characters in situations that may be similar to theirs and its nice for them to see how someone else may cope and deal with what they are facing, even if soaps are not real they are made to be realistic especially when taking on storylines such as domestic violence. As this is something taking very serious in society, therefore the characters must play the part well and be able to portray the issue correctly without offending people and portraying an image that is not accurate to the real life issue. 8) Do you buy TV Soap magazines?

Yes (27)

No (20)

Asking this was so that I could see how popular soap magazines currently are. Looking at the results it seems that more people buy them than people that don't, although this doesn't account for everyone only the people who completed my questionnaire. It would suggest I have a wide target audience, the only issue is getting people to buy my magazine rather than others. That is why my magazine must include something that others don't, so that it being different will attract people. This could include an incentive, such as something free or a chance for readers to win a prize. 9) If yes, how often?

Every week

(18)

Once a fortnight

(7)

Once a month (1)

Rarely (1) It seems that the majority of people who buy soap magazines buy them every week, suggesting they are committed to purchasing them and would also suggest they are committed to watching a particular soap or several as they want to keep updated with what will be happening in up and coming episodes. It could also be down to viewers who don't watch the soaps that regularly but want to keep updated with what is happening and if they are interested in any new storylines they see in the magazine this may be an incentive for them to start watching the soap(s).

10) How much would you be willing to pay for a Soap magazine?

50p - 1.00 (17)

1.01 - 1.50 (23)

1.51 - 2.00 (5)

2.01 - 2.50 (2)

2.51 + (0)

I felt this question was very important, as when creating my magazine I need to be aware of how much readers are willing to pay. If I price the magazine myself without doing any research, people may think it's too high and this will result in my magazine being unsuccessful. The results show that the majority of people are willing to pay between 1.01 - 1.50, but the price getting higher results in less people being willing to pay, therefore it would seem more appropriate for me to price my magazine nearer the 1.00 margin as this would guarantee more consumers than having a higher price. Although some consumers may want high quality and by having a lower price, it means I won't be able to afford to have a better quality magazine as the production of it would be too expensive and I wouldn't make any money from it. 11) Do you discuss Soap Operas with your family and friends?

Yes (31)

No (16)

This is important as the results show many people discuss soaps, meaning they may be the topic of many peoples conversations. By including storylines that have an effect on the audience, this would suggest they are more likely to go and speak about it to family and friends which in turn would result in word and mouth spreading the storylines and this may be an incentive for more people to want to watch the soap. If people take an interest into what someone is saying about a soap and its future episodes and storylines they will want to watch them and therefore result in an increase in viewers. 12) Do you feel that Soap Operas portray real life issues accurately? (e.g. bullying and adultery)

Yes (27)

No (20)

This question was to understand whether people think soaps are realistic in the sense that they take on real life issues occurring in society and portray these in a realistic way so that people can relate to them. If soaps portray real life issues it is more likely people will want to watch them as they can compare it to situations that they may have faced or have heard about. Although many people may want soaps to be less realistic and want them to be more of a drama rather than portraying real life issues in a realistic way, they may prefer them to be more hyper reality. As some people watch soaps so that they can deflect from the issues that they may face on a day to day basis and therefore don't want to watch something that relates to real life scenarios. 13) Would you like Soap Operas to portray real life issues accurately?

Yes (39)

No (8)

The answers from this question show that there is a lot more people that would rather soaps to portray real life issues accurately. This would suggest that when creating my trailer I will need to consider carefully how I am portraying the storylines, as making them as realistic as possible with them also being interesting will attract more viewers. By making it realistic it means that viewers may be able to relate to storylines and they may find some comfort in this as they will feel like they are not the only ones who are dealing with certain issues and it may make them think that other people in the world are facing the same issues as they are. It can also make people feel grateful for the life they have when they watch sad scenes that result in devastating or disaster. 14) Do Soap trailers interest you to watch the Soap?

Yes (45)

No (2)

Nearly everyone who answered my questionnaire and stated they watch soaps said that watching soap trailers interests them into watching the soap. This suggests that soap trailers have a big impact on viewers and therefore it is very important that they are effective, as they must catch viewers attention and make them want to watch the soap and discover what the trailer was all about. If people watch a soap trailer and they don't find it interesting then they would have no intention of watching it, whereas if they see something that they think looks exciting then they will want to watch the next several episodes to watch the story unfold.