The RII – which measures business activity in the US research industry – finished Q4 on a score of 98, just as it did in 2011.

Indeed, the pattern of movement of the index score throughout 2012 mirrored the prior year, starting with a four-point drop in the first quarter to 94, before picking up again in the second half of the year.

Ken Roberts, the author of the RII report and the Marketing Research Association’s immediate past chairman said: “While this shows the resilience of the industry, we clearly continue to face hurdles brought on by the current economic turmoil.”

The report also showed that both corporate researchers and research firms remain reluctant to increase staffing, which has remained virtually flat since the end of 2009.