Although these trends started to emerge at the back end of last century, it is only now that MR is starting to understand the challenges ahead for our industry.

• Market research around the world is becoming increasingly expensive while research budgets are either static or absorbed by the escalating costs of sales data. Not surprisingly, the companies providing retail statistics tend to be the largest in MR.
• Traditionally, market researchers have relied upon the goodwill of the community to assist by answering questions for little if any reward but in the 21st Century, it is becoming increasing difficult to find people willing to submit to a market survey even when compensated. That is, after the research agency has navigated the “privacy” mandatories.
• Yet, never has the business community’s demand for information been greater placing further pressure on the research houses to come up with a solution which is only possible when the researcher and the research buyer can be confident that the data they are using is reliable.
• So, ask yourself why the Polls in the Australia, the U.S. and other western countries seem to be getting it wrong lately?
  

World recognised research commentator Larry Gold, notes in Research World (Feb, 2005) that time is just about up on polling as we know it because of the following problems:

• Prevalence of mobile phone only households particularly under 35 households. There are no listings for these.
• Declining response rates across the board
• Increasing numbers of answering machines and other screening devices
• Telemarketing and privacy registers are encompassing market research despite not being in the legislation.
• The internet has failed to fill the void due to the problems with online access panels and opt-in self selection.

The industry’s response to increasing costs has been to move more and more surveys online where costs are presently lower, but where sampling is even more questionable than traditional methods.