19 Jul 2014

Worm revamped for this year's election

11:00 pm on 19 July 2014

The worm is getting a digital makeover.

Originally used by Television New Zealand during the 1996 election campaign, the worm was also given wriggle room by TV3 during the last three election campaigns.

Now it's being updated for the coming election by the Scoop website and the polling company Roy Morgan Research, as part of an interactive multimedia online platform.

It will also be available on a mobile app.

In a media release, Roy Morgan said its "Reactor" tools will record the "unvarnished gut reactions" of voters, showing how positively the public feel about the things politicians say on television.

The worm is designed to provide instant viewer response to speeches, debates, election promises and other events.

Roy Morgan says it helps to identify which parts of a political campaign are reaching the emotions of voters.