New developments in readership research

Print media research is a slow but sure-footed beast. This paper describes some notable developments in readership research around the world. Pressure to measure an increasing number of titles and, in some cases, newspaper se ctions has Led to some new solutions. Two recent studies have addressed the growing demand for media planning data on how long it takes for print titl es to accumulate their readership. Some countries are exploring the potenti al of the new technology available fur data collection. Debate about the di fferent ways of estimating readership and minimising bias continues, and th ere have been some changes in the ways that different countries address the se issues. Concern over declining respondent cooperation is becoming more p ressing, and may have an increasing influence on how methodologies are adap ted and developed.