Ofcom launches media survey consultation

The tracker provides information on media use, attitudes and understanding among UK adults, and was conducted through face-to-face interviews once a year until 2019.

However, last year face-to-face fieldwork was suspended by Ofcom due to Covid-19 restrictions, and the tracker was carried out using either post to web or post to paper methodologies and using an online panel.

The new proposals suggest splitting the tracker in three shorter surveys comprising a core tracker carried out face-to-face and online once a year; an online behaviours and attitudes tracker carried out online twice a year; and an online knowledge and understanding tracker carried out once a year online.

An Ofcom statement said: “Given changes to the media landscape, we wanted to take this opportunity to refresh and future-proof our media literacy research surveys, to ensure we collect the most timely, relevant and insightful information possible.

“We are reviewing what we ask and how we ask it and are looking to make the most of new and emerging research tools and techniques.”