Open Access

The Sample

NRS estimates of readership of newspapers and magazines are based on a continuous process of personal interviews with members of the public, conducted on the Survey’s behalf by its research contractor, Ipsos MORI. These estimates are based on a representative sample of the adult population (aged 15+) of Great Britain. The data collected from this sample are then extrapolated to the total population estimates, and weighted by sex, age, region and social grade, to ensure that the profile of the sample matches as closely as possible the profile of the actual population. Over the 12 months January - December 2008, the total number of adults interviewed was 37,359 and the total adult population of adults aged 15+ was estimated as 49,077,000.

The sample is drawn from the Small Users' Postcode Address File, from which domestic addresses are selected at random. Interviewers call at these addresses, and interview one or two adults in each household according to strict procedures depending on the total number of adults living in the household. All interviews take place in the respondent's home, and on average take under 30 minutes. Interviews are conducted seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. Disproportionately high samples for the AB social grades are used, weighted back to the population profiles in the published data. The sample in Scotland is also boosted to provide a larger base on which to analyse the Scottish market, and this boost is paid for by the Scottish newspaper publishers.