Brand Strategy

October 29, 2012

Is Market Research Reliable?

Findings from Morpace’s May 2012 omnibus survey shed light on how reliable normal people find market research results.

Greg Deinzer

by Greg Deinzer

Research Director at Morpace

0

 

By Greg Deinzer

The October 23rd posting by Dr. Bruce Isaacson entitledThe Quantity of Presidential Polls and the Quality of Marketing Research started me thinking again about the perceived reliability of market research results.  I highlighted the word perceived because as an honest MR professional I am confident that 99 and 44/100% of us in the business try hard to ensure that best practices are effectively implemented on every study.  Or, at least we try hard to obtain an ending sample size greater than one – even if that one respondent is your mother.

So, assuming that the methodology, sample size, numbers, significance testing, etc. are pure from a market researcher’s point-of-view, I wonder how reliable market research results are to normal people.  Findings from Morpace’s May 2012 omnibus survey of 1,019 U.S. respondents help shed some light onto this topic.

 

When asked about perception of market research results overall, 24% answered 6 or 7 on a 7-point scale (where 1 means very unreliable and 7 means very reliable).  Do you sense a little skepticism amongst the general population?

Interestingly, perceptions change dramatically when market research is attributed to various sources.  Research credited to a scientific journal, for example, is seen to be much more reliable than that coming from a political organization.

What implications does this have?  I’m not quite sure. One thing I am certain of is that I’m glad I work for a market research company. It’s encouraging to know that nearly one-third of the people who read my reports don’t think I’m lying to them.

0

surveys

Disclaimer

The views, opinions, data, and methodologies expressed above are those of the contributor(s) and do not necessarily reflect or represent the official policies, positions, or beliefs of Greenbook.

Comments

Comments are moderated to ensure respect towards the author and to prevent spam or self-promotion. Your comment may be edited, rejected, or approved based on these criteria. By commenting, you accept these terms and take responsibility for your contributions.

ARTICLES

Moving Away from a Narcissistic Market Research Model

Research Methodologies

Moving Away from a Narcissistic Market Research Model

Why are we still measuring brand loyalty? It isn’t something that naturally comes up with consumers, who rarely think about brand first, if at all. Ma...

Devora Rogers

Devora Rogers

Chief Strategy Officer at Alter Agents

The Stepping Stones of Innovation: Navigating Failure and Empathy with Carol Fitzgerald
Natalie Pusch

Natalie Pusch

Senior Content Producer at Greenbook

Sign Up for
Updates

Get what matters, straight to your inbox.
Curated by top Insight Market experts.

67k+ subscribers

Weekly Newsletter

Greenbook Podcast

Webinars

Event Updates

I agree to receive emails with insights-related content from Greenbook. I understand that I can manage my email preferences or unsubscribe at any time and that Greenbook protects my privacy under the General Data Protection Regulation.*