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Communications and media in Australia: Methodology

We used the following methodology for these interactive reports from the Communications and media in Australia series:

  • How we use the internet
  • How we communicate
  • How we watch and listen to content
  • How we access news.
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Guidelines for reading the interactive reports

The Communications and media in Australia interactive reports present the key findings and trends across the surveys conducted from 2017 to 2024.

  • All percentages are based on weighted survey estimates.
  • All percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number. As a result, there may be discrepancies between sums of the component items in a table or chart, and the total.
  • Base sizes are shown as the unweighted number of respondents on which the weighted estimates and proportions are based.
  • Categories with low sample sizes (less than n=100 interviews) should be interpreted with caution.
  • Survey respondents who select an ‘Other’ category for gender are included in all analysis and significance testing but this category is not shown in reports due to small sample sizes.
  • Terminology of ‘use of an activity’ in key findings refers to measuring prevalence of an activity being undertaken, rather than frequency (that is, the proportion of the population that have undertaken activity at all in the relevant time period). 
  • All key findings highlight results that have been tested for statistical significance at the 95% confidence level.
  • The ACMA annual consumer survey research:
    • often asked about ‘the past 6 months’ – this is the period before the data was collected. For the 2024 survey, this broadly represents the period from December 2023 to June 2024
    • included some questions that were filtered depending on the respondent’s previous responses (for example, the question about how often specific devices were used to access the internet was only asked of those who reported in an earlier question that they had used that device to access the internet in the 6 months before the survey). This is noted in descriptive language in the chart’s ‘base’ notes and the corresponding methodology tables. Care needs to be taken when interpreting the results so that the data is read in the correct context
    • included some questions that invited a multiple response, so the total responses may sum to more than 100%
    • does not show or excludes ‘don’t know’, ‘refused’ and other responses with only small levels of responses in some cases. These are noted under the charts in the digital report
    • may include some responses, such as the average number of services reported by respondents each year (for example, online video and music streaming), which can be affected by the services that are on the prompted survey list and services that were recalled unprompted. Additional responses recorded under ‘some other service (please specify)’ can be back-coded into a new category and then counted in the number of services used. This may have a small impact on comparisons across years. New categories may also be included in the prompted list of services in subsequent years.

ACMA annual consumer survey

The ACMA annual consumer survey provides information on:

  • consumer behaviour
  • adoption of, and attitudes towards, media and communications services
  • the effectiveness of regulatory interventions.

This research is part of the ACMA research program, which gathers evidence that informs our decisions as a regulator and ensures we are up to date on market developments and consumer trends.

From 2017 to 2024, the ACMA-commissioned research was undertaken by The Social Research Centre (SRC) using the SRC’s probability-based online panel, Life in Australia (LinA). While most respondents completed the survey online, LinA also included people without internet access or who were not comfortable completing surveys online, who completed the survey by phone. In 2024, the ACMA ran a supplementary survey to provide an information base for understanding consumer trends in use and attitudes about their telco services, and their experience with providers, scams and sources of news. The surveys used the same methodology and were undertaken during the same field work period, but with a different sample. 

Data from Survey 1 (Broadcasting and online content) is used in the How we use the internet, How we communicate and How we watch and listen to content interactive reports. Data from Survey 2 (Telco contact, scams and news) is used in the How we use the internet, How we communicate and How we access news interactive reports.

The survey data is representative of the Australian population aged 18 and over.

Table 1: Survey 1 – summary of key statistics, 2017 to 2024

  Jun
2017		 May 2018 May 2019 Jun 2020 Jun 2021 Jun 2022 Jun 2023 Jun 2024
Total sample 2,277 2,107 2,067 2,009 3,586* 3,580* 3,572 3,530
Online interviews 1,965 1,842 1,824 1,913 3,440 3,453 3,509 3,497
Telephone interviews 312 265 243 96 148 127 63 33
Fieldwork dates 16 May – 4 June 14–27 May 6–19 May 9–21 June 15–28 June 14–27 June 13–25 June 17 June – 1 July
Interview duration (average minutes) 20 25 20 25 19 22 23 26

Note: The 2021 and 2022 total sample size was increased to enable more robust analysis of smaller survey subgroups.  

 

Table 2: Survey 1 – sample profile of respondents who completed the surveys (unweighted), 2017 to 2024

  Jun 2017 May 2018 May 2019 Jun 2020 Jun 2021 Jun 2022 Jun 2023 Jun 2024
Total 2,277 2,107 2,067 2,009 3,586 3,580 3,572 3,530
Male 1,055 974 971 879 1,564 1,560 1,486 1,327
Female 1,217 1,129 1,090 1,124 2,010 2,001 2,055 2,161
Aged 18–24 years 136 108 91* 81* 151 140 171 194
Aged 25–34 years 292 251 254 265 474 399 458 487
Aged 35–44 years 317 269 299 308 580 558 557 670
Aged 45–54 years 386 369 370 311 580 579 605 615
Aged 55–64 years 500 434 404 417 702 697 673 615
Aged 65–74 years 437 465 429 412 735 799 729 608
Aged 75 years and over 204 207 215 194 361 408 375 339
Metropolitan area 1,503 1,379 1,366 1,335 2,387 2,405 2,382 2,397
Regional area 774 727 701 674 1,199 1,175 1,190 1,127

* Sample sizes for Australians aged 18 to 24 are small (n<100 interviews), so these results should be interpreted with caution.
Note: ‘Metropolitan’ refers to those who live in a state or territory capital city (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, ACT, Hobart, Darwin). ‘Regional’ refers to those who live in the rest of the state or territory (outside the 8 state or territory capital cities), as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) Greater Capital City Statistical Area definitions.

 

Table 3: Survey 2 – summary of key statistics, 2022 to 2024

  Jun 2022 Jun 2023 Jun 2024
Total sample 3,580* 3,521 3,537
Online interviews 3,453 3,464 3,499
Telephone interviews 127 57 38
Fieldwork dates 14–27 June 13–25 June 17 June – 1 July
Interview duration (average) 22 19 23

 

Table 4: Survey 2 – sample profile of respondents who completed the surveys (unweighted), 2022 to 2024

  Jun 2022 Jun 2023 Jun 2024
Total  3,580 3,521 3,537
Male 1,560 1,454 1,310
Female 2,001 2,034 2,192
Aged 18–24 years 140 170 180
Aged 25–34 years 399 444 467
Aged 35–44 years 558 579 658
Aged 45–54 years 579 557 600
Aged 55–64 years 697 648 632
Aged 65–74 years 799 697 645
Aged 75 years and over 408 423 354
Metropolitan area 2,405 2,440 2,414
Regional area 1,175 1,081 1,111

Note: ‘Metropolitan’ refers to those who live in a state or territory capital city (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, ACT, Hobart, Darwin). ‘Regional’ refers to those who live in the rest of the state or territory (outside the 8 state or territory capital cities), as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) Greater Capital City Statistical Area definitions.

 

Table 5: Sample profile of respondents who completed the surveys (unweighted), 2017 to 2024

  Jun 2017 May 2018 May 2019 Jun 2020 Jun 2021 Jun 2022 Jun 2023 Jun 2024
Australians aged 18 and over who undertook gambling activities in the past 6 months‡ n/a 299 346 366 935 1,061 1,091 1,160
Australians aged 18 and over who watched any TV or online video content in the past 7 days 2,016 1,891 1,929 1,879 3,399 3,419 3,448 3,400
Australians aged 18 and over who watched any free-to-air catch-up TV and streaming services in the past 7 days 464 498 765 813 1,546 n/a 1,797 1,737
Services used by Australians aged 18 and over for viewing video content:
  • Free-to-air TV and streaming service, excluding catch-up TV
 1,697 1,477 1,425 1,316 2,176 2,285 2,108 1,811
  • Pay TV or other subscription TV channels
 589 553 572 443 895 828 748 636
  • Paid subscription streaming services
 599 722 1,000 1,086 2,049 2,036 2,284 2,387
  • Online pay-per-view services 
 36 40 71 58 221 215 249 226
  • Free-to-air TV catch-up TV and steaming services
 464 498 765 813 1,546 1,563 1,797 1,737
  • User-generated or short-form online video services 
 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,377 1,858 1,958
Australians aged 18 and over who listened to a relevant audio service in the previous 7 days:
  • FM radio
 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 2,241 2,123 1,878
  • AM radio
 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,211 1,042 808
  • DAB +
 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 539 511 436
  • Radio via internet app
 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 550 393 392
  • Online streaming
 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,055 1,418 1,532
  • Podcasts
 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 513 711 811
Australians aged 18 and over who streamed music in the past 7 days 726 843 935 1,153 2,195 2,268 2,334 2,462
Australians aged 18 and over who listened to podcasts or other non-music audio programs in the past 7 days n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a  1,625 1,658 1,761
Devices used by Australians aged 18 and over to access the internet:
  • Mobile phone
 1,763 1,709 1,738 1,794 3,292 3,304 3,349 3,374
  • Laptop computer
 1,522 1,464 1,428 1,507 2,605 2,586 2,606 2,535
  • Smart TV
 709 912 979 1,151 1973 1,976 2,122 2,163
  • Tablet
 1,151 1,285 1,233 1,219 2,065 2,029 1,924 1,817
  • Desktop computer
 1,203 1,065 1,008 907 1,562 1,537 1,421 1,335
  • Digital media player or streaming device
 17 406 463 582 844 1,176 1,206 1,219
  • Games console 
 0 0 0 0 0 593 641 705
  • Personal video recorder (PVR)
 62 230 239 310 441 477 417 390
  • e-reader
 323 226 207 219 353 392 352 345
Australians aged over 18 who accessed news in the past 7 days n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 3,477 3,380 n/a
Australians aged over 18 who accessed news via social media in past 7 days n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,573 1,530 n/a

n/a=not available.
† ‘Used a mobile phone’ includes those who used a mobile phone for calls or text messages.
‡ Data prior to 2021 was only asked of those who selected ‘Online gambling’ or ‘Purchased lottery ticket online’ at D8. From 2021 onwards, K1 was asked of all respondents.

Questionnaire changes from 2017 to 2024

Table 6 details the changes to the ACMA annual consumer survey questions referenced in our published reports. Wording of questions and examples listed for some categories are updated over time to reflect consumer and market changes and/or regulatory priorities. These changes should be taken into consideration when interpreting the findings.

Table 6: ACMA annual consumer survey questionnaire changes, 2017 to 2024

Question
number		 Changes Relevant report
A1
  • ‘Mobile phone for calls’ was ‘Call from a mobile phone’ (2022) and ‘Mobile phone call’ (2017–2021).
  • ‘Landline (home) telephone for calls’ was ‘Call from a landline (home) phone’ (2022), ‘Landline telephone call at home’ (2019–2021) and ‘Fixed-line telephone call at home’ (2017, 2018).
  • ‘Mobile phone for texts (SMS)’ was ‘Text (SMS) from a mobile phone’ (2022), ‘Texting (SMS) from a mobile phone’ (2019–2021) and ‘Texting or sending an SMS from a mobile phone’ (2017, 2018).
  • ‘Used an app for messages (e.g., Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype)’; ‘Used an app for video calls (e.g., Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype)’, and ‘Used an app for voice calls (e.g., Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype)’ (2019–2022) was ‘Messaging/calling app (i.e., Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber, Skype)’ (2017).
  • ‘Tablet, computer or other internet enabled device for calls’ (2023) was ‘Call from a tablet, computer or other internet enabled device’ (2022).
  • ‘Tablet, computer or other internet enabled device for texts (SMS)' (2023) was ‘Text (SMS) from a tablet, computer or other internet enabled device’ (2022).
  • ‘Tablet, computer or other internet enabled device for calls’ was ‘Call from a tablet, computer or other internet enabled device’ (2022, 2023).
  • ‘Tablet, computer or other internet enabled device for texts (SMS)’ was ‘Text (SMS) from a tablet, computer or other internet enabled device’ (2022, 2023).

How we use the internet;
Services used

 
A11
  • Standard TV definition: ‘A TV set that can be used to watch programs from broadcasting stations. It cannot directly connect to the internet and does not have an internal internet connection. It can only be connected to the internet using a separate device (e.g. Apple TV, a Fire TV Stick, Hubbl device, Chromecast device or games console)’ was: ‘A TV set that can be used to watch programs from broadcasting stations. It does not have an internet connection itself and can only be connected to the internet using a separate device (e.g., Apple TV, a Fire TV Stick, Chromecast device or games console)’ (2020–2023).
 How we watch and listen to content;
Time spent watching video content
D5
  • ‘Games console (e.g., PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series S/X)’ was reported separately as ‘Portable games console (e.g., a PSP or Nintendo Switch)’ and 'Other/Games console (e.g., Xbox, PlayStation or Wii)’ (2017–2021).
  • ‘Other’ was reported as ‘Something else’ (2017–2023)
  • ‘You/I haven’t used any devices to access the internet in the past 6 months’ was ‘You/I don’t have any devices connected to the internet’ (2017–2023). 
 How we use the internet;
Devices connected to the internet
D5

The number of prompted responses: 

  • 2021 onwards: 9 codes. 
  • 2020: 10 codes (‘Voice controlled smart speaker’ added, ‘mp3 player’ removed)
  • 2018–2019: 10 codes (‘Digital media player’ added)
  • 2017: 9 codes
 How we use the internet
D7
  • 2020–2021 included new questions on TV ownership with a detailed description of a ‘smart TV’ (QA11).
 How we use the internet;
Smart devices connected to the internet
D8
  • ‘Please indicate whether you have done any of the following in the past 6 months at home or elsewhere. *(DISPLAY FOR CATI) I am now going to read out a range of internet-based activities. Please indicate whether you have done any of the following in the past 6 months at home or elsewhere’ was: ‘Please indicate whether you have done any of the following in the past 6 months at home or elsewhere’ (2017–2023).
 How we use the internet;
Activities performed online
E2
  • ‘X (formerly Twitter)’ was ‘Twitter’ (2017–2023).
 How we communicate;
Which websites/apps are used
E13
  • ‘And which of the following websites or apps, if any, have you used in the past 7 days for personal purposes to actively engage with a piece of content? Actively engaging includes sharing, commenting and/or interacting with the content, such as clicking on 'like'’ was: ‘And which of the following websites or apps, if any, have you used in the past 7 days for personal purposes to actively engage with a piece of content?  This includes sharing, commenting, or reacting in other ways to the content, such as clicking on 'like'’ (2023).
 How we communicate;
Number of different websites/apps used
E16
  • ‘And which of the following websites or apps, if any, have you used for voice calls or video calls for personal purposes in the past 7 days?’ was: ‘And which of the following websites or apps, if any, have you used in the past 7 days for personal purposes to make voice calls or video calls?’ (2021–2023).
 How we communicate;
Used for calls or messages
E17
  • ‘And which of the following websites or apps, if any, have you used for messages in the past 7 days for personal purposes?’ was: ‘And which of the following websites or apps, if any, have you used in the past 7 days for personal purposes to send messages? This includes to a group or an individual’ (2022–2023).
 How we communicate;
Used for calls or messages
F4
  • ‘Free-to-air catch-up TV and streaming service’ was: ‘Catch-up TV’ (2017–2021).
  • 'Paid subscription streaming service’ was: ‘Online subscription services’ (2017–2021).
  • 'Free-to-air TV excluding catch-up TV' was reported separately as: 'Live free-to-air TV' and 'Recorded from free-to-air TV' (2017–2021). 'Recorded from free-to-air TV' is no longer collected or included in 'Free-to-air TV excluding catch-up TV'.
  • 'Pay TV or other subscription TV channels' was reported separately as: 'Foxtel/other subscription channels' and 'Recorded from Foxtel/other subscription TV channels' (2017–2021).
  • ‘Pay-per-view service to rent/buy movie/TV show (e.g. Google Play (Movies & TV), Apple TV or OzFlix)’ was: ‘Pay-per-view service to rent/buy movie/TV show (e.g. Google Play, Apple TV or OzFlix)’ (2022).
 How we watch and listen to content;
Viewing behaviours
F5
  • ‘Free-to-air TV excluding catch-up TV (e.g. ABC, SBS, Channels 7, 9, 10)’ was: ‘Free-to-air catch-up TV and streaming service’ (2022) and ‘Catch-up TV’ (2017–2021).
  • 'Paid subscription streaming service’ was: ‘Online subscriptions services’ (2017–2021).
  • 'Free-to-air TV excluding catch-up TV' was reported separately as: 'Live free-to-air TV' and 'Recorded from free-to-air TV' (2017–2021). 'Recorded from free-to-air TV' is no longer collected or included in 'Free-to-air TV excluding catch-up TV'.
  • ‘Pay TV or other subscription TV channels (e.g. Foxtel)’ was: 'Pay TV or other subscription TV channels' (2022), 'Foxtel/other subscription channels' and 'Recorded from Foxtel/other subscription TV channels' (2017–2021).
  • ‘Pay-per-view service to rent/buy movie/TV show (e.g. Prime video stores, Telstra TV Box Office)’ was ‘Pay-per-view service to rent/buy movie/TV show (e.g. Google Play (Movies & TV), Apple TV or OzFlix)’ (2023) was: ‘Pay-per-view service to rent/buy movie/TV show (e.g. Google Play, Apple TV or OzFlix)’ (2022).
  • ‘User-generated or short-form online video service (e.g. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram)’ was: ‘User-generated or short-form online video service (e.g. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels)’ (2022, 2023)
 How we watch and listen to content;
Time spent watching video content
F7
  • ‘Fetch TV/Movie store’ was: ‘Fetch TV’ (2022, 2023) and ‘Fetch TV/Movie store’ (2021).
  • ‘X (formerly Twitter)’ was: ‘Twitter’ (2022, 2023).
 How we watch and listen to content;
Online video services
F8
  • Question wording changed from online services used to ‘stream or download video content’ was changed to those used to ‘watch video content’ (2021 onwards).
  • Google Play (Movies & TV) (2023) was Google Play Movies and TV (2022).
 How we watch and listen to content;
Online video services
F9
  • ‘7plus (7mate, 7flix, 7two, 7Bravo)’ was: ‘7plus (7mate, 7flix, 7two, Racing.com, 7BravoFOOD)’ (2020–2023), ‘Plus 7 (7mate, 7flix, 7TWO, Racing.com)’ (2019), ‘Channel 7/Plus 7 (7mate, 7flix, 7TWO, Racing.com)’ (2018), ‘Channel 7/Plus 7’ (2017).
  • ‘9Now (9Gem, 9Go!, 9Life, 9Rush)’ was: ‘9Now (9Gem, 9Go!, 9Life, NBN Television, 9Rush)’ (2020–2023), ‘9Now (9Gem, 9Go, 9Life, NBN Television, Your Money)’ (2019), Channel 9/9 Now (9Gem, 9Go, 9Life, Extra, 9Now, NBN Television)’ (2018), ‘Channel 9 / 9 Now’ (2017).
  • ‘10 play (10 Bold, 10 Peach, 10Shake)’ was: ‘10 play (10Bold, 10Peach, TVSN, Spree TV)’ (2020–2023), TenPlay (10Bold, 10Peach, TVSN, Spree TV)’ (2019), ‘Channel 10/TenPlay (Eleven, One, TVSN, Spree TV)’ (2018), ‘Channel 10 / TenPlay’ (2017).
 How we watch and listen to content;
Free-to-air catch-up TV and streaming services
K1
  • ‘Lottoland or a similar service betting on results of the financial market indices’ was: ‘Lottoland or a similar service betting on the outcome of a lottery’ (2019).
  • ‘Sports betting (e.g., betting on football) excluding horse or dog racing or e-sports' was: ‘Sports betting such as betting on football or e-sports but not including horse or dog racing’ (2019).
 How we use the internet;
Gambling activities performed online
H3
  • ‘Online music streaming services (e.g. Spotify, Apple Music etc)’ was: ‘Online music streaming services (e.g. Spotify or Apple Music)’ (2021–2023).
 How we watch and listen to content;
Listening behaviours
H4
  • 2021: Music streaming and podcasts were added to the list of responses, previously they were asked as separate questions.
  • 'AM radio' was reported separately as 'AM radio at home or elsewhere' and 'AM radio in the car' (2017–2021).
  • 'FM radio' was reported separately as 'FM radio at home or elsewhere' and 'FM radio in the car' (2017–2021).
 How we watch and listen to content;
Time spent listening
H8
  • ‘Digital radio (DAB+)’ was: ‘Digital radio (DAB)’ (2022, 2023), ‘Digital radio (DAB+) at home or in a car or somewhere else’ (2020, 2021), ‘Listened to digital radio (DAB+) radio at home or in the car or somewhere else (2017–2019).
  • ‘Online music streaming services (e.g. Spotify, Apple Music etc)’ was: ‘Online music streaming services (e.g. Spotify or Apple Music)’ (2021–2023).
 How we watch and listen to content;
Audio types

Privacy and standards

This research was undertaken in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles contained therein, the Privacy (Market and Social Research) Code 2021, the Research Society Code of Professional Behaviour and ISO 20252 quality standards.

Fieldwork was undertaken in complete compliance with the Telecommunications (Telemarketing and Research Calls) Industry Standard 2017 and all other relevant industry standards.

587.17 KB
2024 ACMA annual consumer survey 1 – Broadcasting, Online content and News questionnaire
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2024 ACMA annual consumer survey 2 – Telco, Scams and Gambling questionnaire
Last updated: 12 December 2024
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