SURVEY RESEARCH: CURRENT PROBLEMS AND FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

The field of survey research, driven at a fast pace by exploding technology, promises an exciting future. This future, however, is threatened by a number of growing, unresolved problems. In order to get a perspective, Walker/Gallup recently interviewed a group of senior marketing information executives. The largest number of these were from manufacturing firms, followed by service organizations, and then advertising agencies. About four in ten said their responsibilities were primarily concerned with marketing intelligence, and a like proportion had the additional responsibility of strategic planning. About one‐tenth had other responsibilities, including sales, promotion, new product research, and the like. Four in ten said the number of professional employees assigned to the function they managed was under ten. At the other end, about one person in fourteen indicated over 100 employees.