More immigrants, fewer natives

Over the past 10 years U.S. women have been bearing too few children to maintain long-term population growth. Demographers expect that if this trend continues, the U.S. will have to rely increasingly on immigration to expand the population. Both legal and illegal immigration accounted for about 26% of the nation's population growth last year. Census Bureau projections, however, indicate immigration's share will rise to 50% early in the next century and then provide the bulk of the nation's population growth in the second half of the 21st century.

These projections are based on the assumed continuation of what demographers call the "birth dearth." Since this began in 1972, the total fertility rate, which measures the number of children the average woman bears, fell below the 2.1 rate necessary to maintain a stable population.

Norman Ryder of Princeton University's Office of Population Research says "there's a very strong consensus among people who are supposed to know" that the fertility rate will remain below the population-replacement level. Though Ryder acknowledges that demographers have incorrectly predicted fertility trends in the past, he thinks that modern contraceptive techniques combined with the benefits women derive from working will keep the rate low.

Dun & Bradstreet to buy Majers

Dun & Bradstreet Corp. has agreed to purchase Majers Corp., an Omaha, Neb., marketing research firm.

Majers measures and evaluates the results of promotions that influence retail sales, such as store displays and cents-off coupons. The firm employs 500 people and has annual revenue of about $35 million.

New York-based Dun & Bradstreet is a marketer of business-information services. The company had world-wide operating revenue in 1985 of $2.8 billion.

Majers would become a unit of Dun & Bradstreet's Nielsen Marketing Research division in Northbrook, Ill.

Researchers discuss quality vs. price

Quality will become increasingly important in the future as customers continue to place emphasis on better products and services. Few companies, however, will overlook price, cost or perceived value as they try to improve quality.

That was the conclusion of a four-person panel on "Cost vs. Quality: Strategic Optimization," in a meeting held recently in Princeton, N.J. The panel members were: Gus Diaz, marketing research manager, Volvo Cars of North America; Susan C. Greendale, marketing director, The New York Times; Michael Hartman, marketing services director, GTE Midwestern Telephone Operations; and Richard Nelson, group research manager, Campbell Soup Co.

The panelists agreed that quality was an important issue for their companies and that, in most cases, the customer defines quality in their market segments.

"Of course, quality is relative," said Nelson. "Our customers have different expectations about a 390 can of chicken noodle soup than they do about a more expensive product in our line, a single-serving jar of soup retailing for $1.69. However, they expect quality and consistency in each."

Although luxury cars are a far cry from soup, some of the same standards of quality apply to each, according to Diaz. "Consumers would like a product that does not surprise them in any way. They want this year's model to perform at the same level or higher than their previous car, just as they want every can of chicken noodle soup to taste as good as every other can," he said.

Meeting customers' expectations about quality is important to The New York Times as well, said Greendale. "We have a heritage that we must live up to," she said. "Although a newspaper like The New York Times cannot be all things to all people, we have an obligation to meet the needs of our readers and advertisers and to uphold the standard of quality they've come to expect."

However, putting the customer first in terms of quality is sometimes more complex than it appears, according to Hartman. "When customers express a preference, it is a company's responsibility to translate those desires into actions the company can deal with internally," he explained. "Customers are not always clear about their priorities. In the case of telecommunications, for example, they want better service, better quality and lower prices. Those preferences can't all be met immediately. The question is, which should you do first?"

The panelists agreed that measuring quality among customers may be relatively simple, but finding out how customers perceive value is more complex. "You can compare brands of soup, but in the real world, consumers have a whole array of choices, all of which have an impact on how they perceive value," said Nelson. "For instance, what is the value of a can of soup for lunch compared to a frozen entree compared to a fast food meal?"

In terms of the future, Diaz said: "As a company that values its relationship with its customers, Volvo has an obligation to learn everything it can about their perceptions of quality, price and value so that it can make plans for the future. Unless we have this information, we can't hope to keep our customers' loyalty."
 
Greendale agrees that information is crucial for making cost vs. quality strategic decisions. "We're not only researching our readers and advertisers, we're trying to predict social trends," she said. "That's the only way we can ensure that the cost and quality decisions we make now will take our company in the right direction for the future."

Participation levels up in 1986

Participation levels in surveys conducted by the marketing research industry have increased significantly com-pared to other years. Additionally, a larger majority of those surveyed supported statements that reflect positively on the industry's image.

These are key findings of the seventh biennial Industry Image Study conducted by Walker Research, Inc., Indianapolis. The study monitors consumers' attitudes toward polls and surveys and has been fielded since 1974. The results track consumers' behavior toward, and opinions of, the marketing research industry so that problems can be detected and addressed. According to Dr. Elizabeth Kyzr-Sheeley, senior research associate, "The information also provides regular feedback about market research from survey participants who are critical to the industry's long-term success."

Topline results of the 1986 survey indicate that reported research participation in the past year has risen to 33% compared to 23% in both 1982 and 1984. Overall the image of the industry is positive and significantly more respondents find the interview experience interesting and beneficial. However, there is greater belief that the true purpose of some surveys is not disclosed.

The survey confirms that telephone interviewing remains the most popular data collection technique (76%), while mall intercept, despite a decline, is still the most frequently used face-to-face methodology (30%). While door-to-door research also continues to decline, mail interviewing has seen a resurgence.

Survey participants continue to be a different group from nonparticipants in that they have higher income and educational levels.

Respondents were asked to identify a critical element in shaping their attitudes toward the interview experience as in 1984. The most important reason cited for a pleasant experience was the personality and/or attitude of the interviewer.

However, the design of the questionnaire had significantly more influence on evaluation of the interview in 1986.

The sales pitch under the guise of a survey has long been of concern to the marketing research industry because it impacts public perception and respondent cooperation in an adverse manner. In 1986 four out of 10 of those interviewed reported exposure to a sales pitch disguised as a survey.

"Although some of the downward trends from the 1984 survey have either been stabilized or reversed in 1986, the research community must continue to address issues important to the public,'' said Kyzr-Sheeley.

The 1986 survey involved a nationally representative sample. Interviews with 500 respondents were completed in June plus over-quota interviews to obtain 200 consumers who reported that they had participated in a survey within the past year.

Washington, D.C. a woman's city

Two out of every three, or 65%, of Washington, D.C.-area women work outside the home, reveal Census Bureau figures. That's the highest labor participation rate for women of any U.S. metropolitan area. Over 60% of women in Dallas, Atlanta and San Francisco work. In Pittsburgh and New York, about 45% of women are in the local work force.

The Greater Washington Research Center, which obtained the figures from the 1980 Census, says Washington leads other metro areas in the number of women in managerial or professional, as opposed to clerical jobs. Washington has 35%. Slightly more than 20% of working women in Miami, Pittsburgh and St. Louis occupy managerial or professional positions.

Washington-area retailers and ser-vice companies should consider expanding business hours to attract the female labor force, the research center suggests. Also, the number of working women in the national capital area is now so high that there are relatively few non-working women available for jobs. That's a problem for growing businesses but an opportunity for job-seeking women willing to move to Washington.