It was Benjamin Disraeli who said that, ‘There are lies, damned lies and statistics’. He might have been referring to some of the research-based PR stories that crop up in the media. A headline such as ’80 per cent of Brits face pension misery’ may grab the attention, but, if the research behind the headline is of dubious quality, then so is the story.

What makes some research statistics – and their resultant headlines – ‘dubious’? I believe there are a number of contributory factors. These include:

• Clients and their PR agencies demanding ever faster turnarounds on research, to the detriment of good questionnaire design
• The ‘cost per question’ pricing model on omnibus surveys (the most common method of PR research) resulting in the minimum number of research questions being asked to generate the maximum results
• A trend towards DIY surveys, clients and their PR agencies underestimating the importance of good survey design
• Research agencies not being involved in checking research-based PR releases before they go out

For me, the real culprit, however, is poor questionnaire design. Put yourself in the position of a panellist taking part in an omnibus survey. You’ll be expected to answer questions on a wide variety of topics. If you don’t know an answer, chances are you’ll take a guess, as opposed to ticking a ‘don’t know’ box. This is a particular problem in financial research, where most questions revolve around how much people earn, borrow, save, invest and spend. I don’t know about you but, off the top of my head, I couldn’t tell you what interest rate I’m paying currently on my mortgage or what my annual car insurance premium is. And I might not want to admit my ignorance, so would probably take an educated guess. If I’m not alone in doing this, then the survey findings – and resultant statistics - are going to be completely skewed.

So how do you avoid this happening?

• Ensure that you or your PR agency uses a bona fide research agency which includes questionnaire design assistance in its omnibus charges
• Discuss with your research agency the headline stories you’re hoping to generate from the research
• Involve your research agency in interpreting the research findings – get them to check your press releases before they go out
• Ensure that all press releases include a statement of how and when the research was conducted
• And finally, if you unable to answer a research question yourself, don’t ask it

Market research is great at producing headline-grabbing news stories, but ‘damned lies’, as Disraeli put it, are not worth the paper they’re written on.