NEWS19 December 2016

Public has outdated view of market research

Europe News North America UK

UK – More than half ( 59%) of people still associate market research with people interviewing them on the street with clipboards, while only 43% trust researchers with the information they provide, according to an international study.

Survey clipboard_crop

However, those people who regularly take part in surveys have a good understanding of research and are more trustful of the industry.

The research among 4,500 participants in the UK, US and Germany was conducted by digital data collection company Research Now and market research association Esomar, using three data collection techniques – an online panel, a social media panel, and a Computer Aided Telephone Interview (CATI) sample.

Among its other findings were that 60% of UK CATI participants take part in surveys less often than once a year; while 60% of online panel and social media panel participants take part in a survey at least once a month.

Less than half of the CATI participants think market research surveys help companies make better decisions and 60% think it’s about helping companies make more money.

UK panel participants are generally more likely to be comfortable sharing information in comparison to CATI participants, and are 20% more likely to be comfortable sharing information on things like food and alcohol spend, political views and views on advertising.

The UK has a slightly more outdated view of market research compared to the US and Germany, with 71% of UK CATI respondents associating market research with street interviewers with clipboards, compared to 52% in the US and 56% in Germany.

Melanie Courtright of Research Now, said of the survey: “The need to foster a human connection with participants is underlined by the degree of distrust and discomfort in sharing more sensitive data. We operate with strong codes of ethics; however, this is not appreciated by the wider public. We must tackle this and promote the true value of research – addressing the public scrutiny and criticism.”  

@RESEARCH LIVE

1 Comment

7 years ago

Shouldn't the industry be more concerned about whether marketers know what market research is? That's an issue. The public doesn't need to know.

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