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US Researchers' Confidence Falls Again
The MRA's Research Industry Index (RII), which measures the outlook of US research professionals, has seen its fifth consecutive quarterly drop, to a composite score of 84; however, CEO Larry Brownell suggests the trend may be 'bottoming out'.
The overall RII fell to 84 from 87 in the fourth quarter of 2008, and is indexed on a score of 100 for the fourth quarter of 2007. The overall figure is a composite score based on reported changes in key business metrics (RFPs, projects and staffing levels), as well as changes in business owners' perceptions of the health of their business. This quarter's drop was fuelled by average decreases of 7-8% in staffing levels, booked revenue and RFPs/Proposals.
Says Brownell: 'Staffing level decreases had lagged behind revenue decreases in previous quarters. But this quarter, they were highly correlated. It appears that much of the industry waited until 2009 to reduce staffing.' He adds that traditionally, industry downsizing has occurred toward the end of low purchasing periods, implying that the latest change may signal a bottoming out of downward trends.
The latest round saw the participation of a record number of MR professionals, 211 - previously the base has averaged around 150 per quarter. Survey participants receive a detailed report on the findings.
Respondents include end users (clients), full service firms, field services and panel companies and interviewing is conducted online via a survey hosted by Authentic Response. Reporting was completed by Cooper Roberts Research.
MRA (the Marketing Research Association) is online at www.mra-net.org .
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