1. A career in statistics in market and social research Phil Hughes Centre for Statistical and Survey Methodology, University of Wollongong (formerly ACNielsen) - Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS)

2. Statistics (honours), ANU, 1972 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), cadetship 1971/1972 On graduation ABS Canberra, 1972 to 1990 ABS Sampling Section (30 statisticians): sampling and survey analysis support to areas running ABS surveys Public Service scholarship to do PhD in Statistics at University of Southampton, UK, 1985

3. 1990, moved from ABS, Canberra to AGB McNair (later ACNielsen), Sydney. Commercial market research company. 1990 – 2008 AGB McNair/ACNielsen Much broader role – researcher conducting surveys for government and commercial clients, plus as specialist statistician

4. 2004-2008, head statistician for ACNielsen Customised, Asia Pacific Responsible for survey and analysis standards across 17 Asia Pacific countries Travelled to 10-12 countries each year to review surveys and train staff

5. 2009, moved from Nielsen, to Centre for Statistical and Survey Methodology, University of Wollongong (based in Sydney) Consulting role Developing new Graduate Certificate in Survey Research Methods, starting 2010

6. Working as a statistician in market and social research Design and analysis of sample surveys Multivariate analysis of survey data

7. What do these surveys do? Answer questions Questions for which organisations need to know the answers – information has value Let’s look at some of the questions asked

8. Questions: Which party would people vote for? Who is the preferred Prime Minister? How important will Green preferences be? What policy issues are important in people’s voting decision?

9. Where are Australia’s international visitors coming from? How long did they stay? Where did they go? What did they spend?

10. OZTAM Television Audience Measurement How many people watched program X What is the most popular program for males 18-24? What channel attracts the highest audiences on weekends?

11. What does a statistician do in social and market research? Sample design How can I obtain a good sample How much sample is required? What sort of stratification is needed? How much sample should be allocated to each stratum? How should the sample be selected? What is the most cost-effective design? Can an online sample be used?

12. Sample analysis How should the sample be weighted? What is the level of confidence in the results? How much non-response is acceptable? How can the impact of non-response be reduced? How should outliers be treated? Are the differences in results between this year and last year due to a real change or just due to sampling variability?

13. Mathematical modeling of the data How can consumers be clustered into segments based on their similarity? What factors influence shoppers in their shopping choices? How do product quality, service quality and price affect customer satisfaction?

14. Skills sought by employers Ability to see the big picture – what lies behind the survey/the analysis Can do/down-to-earth practical skills Not just application of the correct formula Ability to think statistically Ability to communicate with other professionals with different views and perspectives Ability to work as a consultant, setting clear objectives and maintaining focus

15. Problem solving

16. Formulae

17. Uses your training Relevant – solving real-world problems Varied range of subjects and problems Working with other professionals to design, conduct, analyse and report on surveys

18. THANK YOU