Nielsen to end political polling leaving Fairfax seeking new provider
Nielsen has announced it is ceasing political polling in Australia in a move that will mark the end of its respected Fairfax Nielsen poll.
In a statement director of Nielsen Pacific Chris Percy said: “We have greatly valued the close relationship we have had with Fairfax on polling since the mid 1990’s and this was not a decision taken lightly. It reflects the evolution of Nielsen’s business towards a much greater focus on core strategic work directed at consumer purchasing and media consumption.”
The move leaves Fairfax looking for a new partner for its political polling with Newspoll, Galaxy and Roy Morgan the remaining players in the space in Australia.
“The Fairfax poll will continue after our current arrangements with Nielsen come to end,” said Allen Williams managing director of Australian Publishing Media, which publishes The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Financial Review.
“We are currently exploring a range of options to strengthen and broaden the new Fairfax poll’s depth and reach. We are hoping to capture an even greater diversity of views in an ever-changing and fast-moving political landscape.”
The Fairfax Nielsen Poll will cease from July.
Nielsen and Fairfax began their polling relationship in 1995 and have worked together over seven federal elections from 1996 to 2013.
The 19 year Fairfax relationship has been the longest in the poll’s history. The Nielsen Poll was published in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age from January 1995 and in The Australian Financial Review from February 2012.
Nic Christensen
