Ipsos Mendelsohn Affluent Survey
The Ipsos Mendelsohn Affluent Survey is the definitive research source covering the media habits, lifestyles, and attitudes of the affluent and luxury marketplaces in the United States. The release of the 2009 Mendelsohn Affluent Survey in September, 2009 will mark the 33rd consecutive year that the company has provided advertisers, agencies, and the media with this valued and innovative, syndicated, communications planning and marketing survey.
Currently being conducted, the 2009 Mendelsohn Affluent Survey will for the first time include questions on psychographics, personal networks, and decision-making and influencing for 20 measured categories. Also examined are hundreds of never-before-measured upscale brands in over twenty highly sought-after product and service categories including apparel, travel, household appliances, financial services, and watches and jewelry.
Based on the active involvement of our Mendelsohn Advisory Council and direct feedback from over 50 diverse subscribers representing agencies, publications and TV networks, the following is a sampling of the topics that will be emerging from the 2009 Mendelsohn Affluent Survey when it is released later this year:
|
Total Measures in 2009 |
New in 2009 |
|
• Publications |
156 |
41 |
|
• Television Behaviors |
24 |
24 |
|
• Television Networks |
90 |
34 |
|
• Websites |
316 |
316 |
|
• Travel Destinations |
230 |
92 |
|
• Most Recent Trip |
46 |
46 |
|
• Retail Stores |
56 |
17 |
|
• Category Expenditures |
122 |
10 |
|
• Leisure Time And Entertainment (including video games) |
41 |
19 |
|
• Three Most Worrisome Issues |
16 |
16 |
|
• "Screen" Content Consumption |
49 |
49 |
|
• Retirement Accounts |
16 |
16 |
|
• Brand Ownership And Usage (across 14 categories) |
454 |
454 |
|
• Influencing In 20 Categories |
20 |
20 |
|
• Decision-Making In 20 Categories |
107 |
107 |
|
• Attitudes and Opinions |
103 |
103 |
In total, the final results from the 2009 Mendelsohn Affluent Survey – literally 40% larger than its already-expanded 2008 predecessor – will be released on September 15, 2009.
Since 1977, the year the Mendelsohn Affluent Survey was launched, the company has accumulated a unique history in regard to the demographic composition of affluent adults and households and how this upscale group impacts media and various product and market services. Because of its accumulated expertise in this area, Mendelsohn's Affluent Survey is now recognized globally as the definitive audience-based research source of the media habits and lifestyles of the affluent population in the United States. The Mendelsohn Affluent Survey is the only ongoing syndicated study that concentrates on this select marketplace of purchasers of many affluent and luxury goods and services and also provides sufficiently large samples to allow for a thorough examination of the affluent and very high income households, many of whom are also millionaires.
The 2008 Mendelsohn Affluent Survey focused solely on the top fifth of U.S. households (currently 20%) based on current household incomes ($100,000 or higher in 2008). This select and vital group of households (approximately 23 million U.S. households in total) accounts for more than 50% of the total U.S. household incomes and are counted among the target markets for many affluent and luxury brand's marketing and advertising campaigns throughout the year. The survey’s widely dispersed sample, plus its substantial rate of completions and its population projections (which closely reflect the Current Population Surveys of the Bureau of the Census) make Mendelsohn’s measurement of the affluent and very high income households more representative of changing media and market habits.
The 2008 survey was fielded in all 50 states and in Washington, D.C. As in prior years, the survey was fielded in the highest quality manner using a rigorous mail methodology. More than 13,000 affluent households are included in the 2008 release and the overall response rate again approached 45%. The 2008 database allows subscribers to produce comprehensive demographic and marketing profiles of an extensive list of magazines, national newspapers and cable television networks as well as search engines. In addition, subscribers use the 2008 and prior years’ data to undertake substantive demographic, marketing, and strategic planning analyses in regard to more than 50 marketing and product categories (for example, airline travel, alcoholic beverages, apparel, automotive, credit cards, cruising, Internet usage, investments, leisure and sports/athletic activities, real estate, travel destinations, wine, etc.). Additionally, the 2008 survey obtained detailed expenditure data from affluent and very high income consumers regarding more than 100 different expenditures of interest to affluent and luxury brand advertisers, agencies and the media.