Arbitron announces Spring 2008 Diary Enhancements.

Beginning with the Spring 2008 diary survey, Arbitron Inc. will implement diary enhancements that are intended to improve response rates for hard to reach demographics.

Second Chance Diary

In all continuously measured markets Arbitron will offer a second chance to respondents in households who initially agree to participate, but fail to return any diaries for the week they were selected. The second chance diary system will include only those households that return no diaries.

During the test of this initiative, improvements were seen in young male, black and Hispanic proportionality. Forty percent of the households who agreed to participate for a second time returned diaries.

“This is the best of both worlds for diary sample improvements,” said Ed Cohen, vice president, Research Policy and Communication. “Typically when you improve proportionality, response rates go down and vice versa. With the second chance diary system, we are able to improve both proportionality and response rates.”

Young Male Promised Incentives Begins in Spring 2008 for All Non-Continuously Measured Markets

This Spring, Arbitron is expanding promised incentive to non-continuously measured markets where the Male 18-34 proportionality index is less than 60, averaged across the most recent two surveys. At recruitment, households with young male respondents, aged 18-34, are promised an additional premium for each returned diary.

Promised incentives were successfully implemented in the Top Ten markets for black and Hispanic persons 12+ in Fall 2002 and has since been expanded to additional markets.

“The second chance diary provides an opportunity for respondents willing to participate to have their radio listening counted in the survey,” said Tom O’Sullivan, VP, Diary Market Development. “Both of these enhancements focus on improving sample representation for the hardest to reach demographics. We’ve seen success in promised incentives for the top ten markets and similar results are expected with the young male sample in the additional markets.”