MRA Index Suggests MR's Recession is Over

The MRA's Research Industry Index study (RII) has maintained a score of 100 or higher for four straight quarters, for the first time since its launch in 2007. According to the MRA, this is a strong indication that the industry has recovered from the recession.

From a series of online interviews with 202 senior research execs, the RII provides a composite score based on reported changes in multiple key business metrics, projects and staffing levels, as well as changes in business owners' perception of the 'health' of their firms.

The 26th wave, which was conducted in April and May 2014, showed that firms of all sizes saw net improvements in key metrics during the period, while medium size firms (those with revenue between $1m and $5m) experienced the most growth in terms of projects/booked revenue - a 10% net increase compared with 5% for smaller firms and 7% for larger firms.

MRA's Director of Research Amy Shields (pictured) comments: 'Keeping in mind that RII's benchmarking dates back to the fourth quarter of 2007, this wave reflects the most positive twelve month period in the history of the report.' However, she notes, 'the 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.'

Web site: www.marketingresearch.org .