Carried out by the Marketing Research Association (MRA), the 26th wave of the quarterly study continues to show improved levels. For the first time in its history, the RII has sustained a score of 100 or higher for four consecutive quarters. This is taken as a strong indication of recovery from the recession. The study is based on online interviews with 202 owners or senior level managers from corporate researchers and market research firms.

Medium sized firms have shown the most growth in projects/ booked revenue, with a 10% net increase compared to 5% for smaller firms and 7% for larger firms.

“Keeping in mind that RII’s benchmarking dates back to fourth quarter of 2007, this wave reflects the most positive 12 month period in the history of the report,” said MRA’s Director of Research, Amy Shields.

“However, because the index is based on numerous business metrics, first quarter did see an overall decrease in the volume of business, which isn’t alarming, but rather a likely result of client budgets traditionally being more conservative than in fourth quarter.”