Data quality statement
| Data asset name | ACMA annual consumer survey datasets |
| Date | 12 December 2024 |
| Purpose |
The ACMA’s annual consumer surveys (ACS) are a nationally representative surveys that explore, take-up and use, and attitudes towards communications and media services for the Australian population aged 18 years and over. Data and insights from the ACS help meet our statutory obligations and support the ACMA to make regulatory decisions informed by evidence. |
| Description of data asset |
The ACS is the ACMA’s primary source of consumer survey data on the use of, and attitudes and behaviour towards communication services among Australian adults. The ACMA receives de-identified unit record data reflecting the survey responses from respondents from the Social Research Centre (SRC) – the consultant commissioned to undertake this research work for the ACMA – as an IBM SPSS (.SAV) file and analysis tables and Q data tables (.QPack). The file is organised by variables determined by the ACMA based on research priorities, questions asked in each survey year and other factors. The full ACS dataset is not published publicly. Selected data from the 2017 to 2024 ACS is published as part of the Communications and media in Australia report series. Data used in the interactive reports is available for download directly from individual report tables. |
| Legislation and authority |
The dataset is collected under the Australian Communications and Media Authority Act 2005 (Cwth). The Privacy Act 1988 guides Australian Government agencies in the handling of personal information. |
| Scope and coverage |
Publicly available ACS data are aggregated results of the annual survey. ACS data presented in charts or tables in ACMA published reports are published with .CSV accessibility files available to download from the website or directly from the Power BI report. ACMA research reports featuring ACS data are usually released in .PDF or Power BI format. Charts and reports published in Power BI format on the ACMA website allow the public, researchers and other interested stakeholders to view and interact with ACS data within the Power BI interface, which includes a range of filtering and analysis options. All aspects of the ACS research are undertaken in accordance ISO 20252:2019 Market, Opinion and Social Research Standard, The Research Society (formerly AMSRS) Code of Professional Behaviour, the Australian Privacy Principles and the Privacy (Market and Social Research) Code 2021. All ACS data is de-identified by the SRC before delivery to the ACMA. All personal information is removed to ensure it is not possible to identify individual information from aggregate records. Some panel profile variables (e.g. postcode and age in years) are not available. |
| Reference period | Comparative timeseries data is available from 2017. |
| Frequency and timing | ACS data is collected and published annually. |
| Formats available | Publicly available versions of ACS data are available in .CSV format. |
Data quality description
Accuracy
The ACMA commissions the Social Research Centre (SRC) to collect ACS data ™. Survey panel Members are randomly selected to complete the ACS, with contact made via their landline or mobile phone. SRC ensures that the sample meets specific quotas in key demographic characteristics of the Australian population, such as gender and age.
Data collected through the SRC’s software is analysed by the SRC’s quantitative team at different points and screened for accuracy, completeness and privacy purposes before being provided. A range of quality assurance processes aligned with best-practice consumer research guidelines and data governance standards are used, including weighting the data to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures to be representative of the Australian population.
All data provided by the SRC is checked by the ACMA as part of analysis and reporting work connected to the ACS project to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the data.
ACS data is converted to .CSV for reporting in Power BI format on the ACMA’s website and is subject to further quality assurance checks. These checks involve manual and semi-automated data processing checks.
Completeness
ACS data reflects all survey respondents who completed the survey. The SRC ensures data is cleaned of all invalid/incomplete responses. We complete independent quality assurance checks on the data to ensure it meets specific business purposes.
For the 2024 ACS, response rates were different by survey. For Survey 1, the overall response rate was 69.0%. This is based on completions from the number of active panel members invited to take part in the survey (n=5,118). The completion rate was higher for the online population (69.0%) than the offline population (67.3%). For Survey 2, the overall response rate was 70.5%. This is based on completions from the number of active panel members invited to take part in the survey (n=5,016). The completion rate was higher for the offline population (72.4%) than the online population (70.5%).
Relevance
Data and insights from the ACS:
- helps the ACMA to understand market developments and consumer trends in areas related directly to the questionnaire
- provides an evidence base to inform our policy development and decision making
- assess the effectiveness of regulatory interventions
- assists in addressing the advisory, monitoring and reporting requirements under the Australian Communications and Media Authority Act 2005 (Cwth) and other associated acts to report on the telecommunications industry and consumers of carriage services, service and industry trends in the broadcasting and internet industries and content services.
Timeliness
Data collection commenced in May 2007 and is ongoing. Comparative time-series data is available from 2017.
Data is collected annually during the fieldwork phase of the ACS project, usually over a 2-week period in June each calendar year 2024 fieldwork was from 18 to 30 June.
ACS data is analysed at milestones in the ACS project. The dates below are from the 2024 ACS project timeline:
- June: topline results (uncoded and unweighted) and transcriptions of open responses finalised.
- Late June: code frame extensions are developed in Q, SPSS and .XLSX/.CSV formats.
- In Late July and early August, topline results (coded, unweighted and weighted) and .XLSX/.CSV cross tabulations finalised.
The ACS publicly available content is then published on the ACMA’s website in December, as an interactive report series.
Collection
ACS methodology is published on the ACMA’s website as part of the reporting process. All methodological processes captured are quality assured and meet research and data governance standards within the ACMA and the Australian Public Service more widely.
All of SRC’s work is conducted in accordance with ISO 20252:19 and ISO 27001:2013 quality standards, the Australian Market and Social Research Society code of professional behaviour, and the Australian Privacy Principles.
Consistency
ACS data has been collected by the ACMA since 2007. While survey questions can be added, removed or changed each year depending on the ACMA’s organisational priorities, the ACS is fundamentally a time-series data survey, tracking consumer behaviour and attitudes over time.
Since 2017, the ACMA has engaged the SRC to conduct the ACS. Working with a single consultant has provided a high level of consistency in the ACS time series data and resulted in other administrative efficiencies for the overall management of this important, ongoing project for the ACMA.
Fit-for-purpose
ACS data is fit for the purpose of keeping the ACMA up to date on market developments and consumer trends, to provide an evidence base to inform our policy development and decision making, and to assess the effectiveness of regulatory interventions.
Data is provided to the ACMA for research and reporting purposes in proprietary software including Q, SPSS, and .XLSX/.CSV formats, which aligns with standard industry practice for for quantitative and qualitative data provision. Data published publicly in Power BI reporting also meets accessibility standards and is provided in a format that can be used by interested stakeholders as appropriate.
Please email info@acma.gov.au with any questions relating to the ACMA annual consumer survey datasets.