DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO ACCURACY IN ONLINE RESEARCH NOW AVAILABLE IN NEW 2006 EDITION

At a time of rising concern, KN offers frank, plain-English assessments of key issues surrounding quality in online surveys

Menlo Park, CA; October 23, 2006: Knowledge Networks has just published a new edition of The Decision Maker's Guide to Online Research™, offering an easy-to-read overview of research quality issues at a time when concern about the accuracy of online surveys has reached unprecedented levels.

You can learn more about research quality and request a free paper and/or PDF copy of the Decision Maker's Guide at www.knowledgenetworks.com/quality.

At a time when more and more online panels are claiming to be "high quality," recent industry roundtables and trade articles (in Advertising Age™ and elsewhere) have questioned the reliability of surveys from these sources. Among the causes of concern are

• the effects of "professional respondents" on data,
• low and/or diminishing response rates, and
• consumer engagement with surveys at a time when they are busier than ever.

The Decision Maker's Guide to Online Research™ provides clear, sound explanations of these and other key issues facing decision makers in business, academia, and government. It explains why

• response rates are all but irrelevant for most online panels,
• a survey with 3,000 respondents may not be any more accurate than one with 30,000, and
• findings from most online panels cannot be projected to other population groups

KnowledgePanel® (from Knowledge Networks) is based on a random sample of all U.S. telephone numbers, which makes it truly representative of the population as a whole. This means that it is the only online panel that:

• is truly representative of the offline population – roughly 1/3 of all the people in the U.S.
• can be projected with statistical validity to broader population groups
• prevents "professional respondents" from joining
• mitigates the biased results of volunteers who are especially interested in a particular topic

Knowledge Networks delivers quality you can use—superior methodologies, design, and analysis that give you an edge when it comes to understanding consumers and making business decisions. KN's unmatched consumer research resources include the only probability-based, Web-based consumer panel. The company leverages its expertise in brands, media, advertising, and analytics to provide insights that speak directly to clients' most important marketing issues. In addition, Knowledge Networks has built a substantial practice in government and academic research, an area notable for its rigorous methodology standards.