The IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) released the results today of its third TouchPoints Survey which collected data on how 6050 UK adults spend their time and what role media play in their lives. Carried out by Ipsos Media CT on IPA’s behalf, this “week in the life of” a typical Brit is a thorough investigation – the 6050 individuals had to complete substantial questionnaires and e-diaries, the data from which was collated every 30 minutes for a week! Making it “the first, consumer-centric, multi-media study available to all”
As well as the details and sheer quantity of data that was collected in late 2009/early 2010, this survey’s other key value is in providing trend/comparative data to monitor changes since it was first completed in 2006. Below are are its main findings (click on this link to access the full data on the IPA website) – percentages refer to amount of time or usage in a week:
- Communicating with others: People are spending less time talking face-to-face than previously but it is still the dominant way to communicate (81% of time in 2006 down to 75% in 2010); 57% of adults use a mobile phone, typically using 11% of their communication time to do so, whilst texting & picture messaging is up to 4%. Time spent writing on paper has dropped to just 1% in total.
- What we watch: TV still dominates with an average of 3.7 hours watched a day (and a weekly reach of 98%) with the internet only taking up an average of 1.8 hours a day/75% reach (although this is a 38% increase since 2006 up from 1.3 hours which is driven mainly through the use of social networking). The BBC is dominant as the supplier of media, reaching 98% of all UK adults via TV, radio, online & magazine channels.
- The internet: 75% use the internet (up from 53% in 2008), with slightly more men than women using it, but a large majority of usage being London/ South East based. Emailing takes 20% share of internet activity whilst social networking has risen to 11% (just under 40% of adults use social networking for at least an hour a week ). Time spent accessing media online is growing exponentially – radio/podcasts up 166% and TV up 216% from previous surveys. 16% of adults use mobile phones to access the internet.
- Social media: vast majority of users are 15-24 year olds but in total 37% of adults use social media. 35% of adults use Facebook (compared to 79% of 15-24s!) whereas only 4% of adults use Twitter and only 1.4% used Linkedin.
- Life-style: the recession had a clear effect with 33% of respondents agreeing they work longer hours, with 44% feeling more stressed. 54% said they had “tightened their belts significantly” with 72% preferring to save up for something expensive rather than put it on their credit card.
We hope you can use this summary to help you target your marketing and sales activities in 2010. If you would like to know more about how market research benefits your business, contact us for a discussion or alternatively, we can introduce you to our specialist Market Research partner who can devise specific research for your business.
Dangerous Marketing Ltd 