Affluent Survey Revised, Collects More Data on Digital Media Habits

In an attempt to better serve the marketing industry’s need for more comprehensive and insightful data about the affluent population in the U.S., Ipsos Mendelsohn give its well-known Mendelsohn Affluent Survey one of the biggest overhauls in its 33-year-old life.

Ipsos has added hundreds of new questions in categories ranging from specific web behaviors to travel, shopping, financial and digital media habits, pet ownership, cosmetic surgery, ‘do-it-yourself’ repairs, and interest in equestrian events and boating.
As a result, the new 2009 study - available in September - will have 40% more data than before, writes Marketing Charts.
The new survey also will collect new usage and ownership data on hundreds of brands in more than 20 spending categories and - new this year - psychographic data about affluents’ attitudes and opinions in more than 100 areas.

The growing influence and use of digital media and technology has also been a major driver in the revision of the survey, and has resulted in Ipsos Mendelsohn’s inclusion of usage and preference data for hundreds of websites, as well as a battery of questions about word-of-mouth influence, decision-making behaviors and involvement in personal, business and online networks.
As an example, the questionnaire will include 41 new measures relating to publication use, 24 new measures relating to TV behaviors, 34 relating to TV network viewing and 316 related to website use.
To bring about the needed changes to the survey questionnaire, Ipsos Mendelsohn hosted several meetings with its Mendelsohn Advisory Council (MAC), which includes media buyers and other stakeholders who provided guidance and suggestions in terms of how the survey could be most useful and relevant.