NEWS3 May 2023
UK – Almost one-in-five Sunday newspaper articles relied on market research between 2022 and 2023, according to research from the Market Research Society (MRS) and Camargue.
In a research project examining the impact of the research industry on the national media in the UK, it was found that 17% of articles identified relied on research.
Of that 17%, 12% of articles were supported by research, with 5% driven by research, where research findings were the main angle of the story.
The findings are based on research carried out between 2nd February 2022 and 29th January 2023 by Camargue and MRS of newspaper articles published in the Financial Times Weekend, The Mail on Sunday, The Observer, The Sunday Telegraph and The Sunday Times.
The research included analysis of the news and business sections of the print versions of the five Sunday newspapers, with the team noting the total number of articles, each article that had been written about or supported by research, the focus of the articles and whether the theme could be designated economic, political or social.
Other findings include that 7% of articles drew on economic and social research separately, while political research was used by 3% of articles.
August was the most popular time for research-based stories, the research found, with a peak of 23% on 14th August.
The lowest point was 9 September at 13%, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Financial Times Weekend was the most frequent user of research ( 26% average), with 45% of all stories relying on research in August 2022.
The Mail on Sunday used research the least with a 13% average, though this reached 27% of stories on 15th January 2023.
The Observer, The Sunday Times and The Sunday Telegraph were all within four percentage points of each other.
Social research made up the largest share of stories across most of the papers, excluding the Financial Times Weekend, which relied more on economic research.
The MRS and Camargue said they would resume the programme before and after the next general election, which is due to occur before the end of next year, to see if this impacted the use and type of research featuring in newspapers.
James Endersby, chief executive at insight agency Opinium, a small part of which runs thought leadership research for clients and has a political polling partnership with the Guardian Observer, said that for many clients, the first port of call following the completion of a research project was the creation of a press release for dissemination to the media.
“This is a high risk moment of course, as the ownership of the data passes hands from our expert researchers and out into the world,” Endersby said. “It’s vital that the research agency leans in and support the PR agency or in-house communications team with that press release.
“After the press release has been sent out to journalists, it’s also important that the research agency make themselves available to their client and any journalists that have any questions about the research.
“I’d also recommend spending time with your clients doing training and helping them to also become more and more data literate, and aware of the great responsibility they have to protect the integrity of the data.”
Jane Frost, chief executive at MRS, said: “We were all surprised to see how often the press draws on research for its content and this shows how fundamental our work is to the UK beyond its £8bn contribution to the economy. It’s another reason why the government should be speaking to us regularly.
“Newspapers are cultural barometers, both informing and representing the public. In this context, the fact that one in five articles explicitly draws on the evidence provided by research actually shouldn’t be that surprising.
“Journalists are themselves a form of researcher and they understand the importance of trustworthy, evidenced insight to give their copy credibility. It’s why we can see a rise in research cited during extreme situations such as the cost-of-living crisis, as commentators seek facts to help explain changing social trends and consumer habits.”
A spokesperson for media regulator Impress said: “Accuracy should always be a top priority for journalists and understanding how to apply research practices is critical to that pursuit. Data and research can be vulnerable to distortion without effective regulation to ensure good practices are followed.
“Our standards code states members must not mislead, or distort any source material, and that members are responsible for checking the accuracy of any research before publishing, ensuring the public can trust what they read.”