Data quality statement: ACMA annual consumer surveys

Accuracy

The ACMA commissions the Social Research Centre (SRC) to collect ACS data using their Life in Australia™ panel. Survey panel members are randomly selected to join the panel, with contact made via their landline or mobile phone. To enable robust analysis of key population subgroups, in 2025 the sample for Survey 1 was supplemented with participants from i-Link Research’s non-probability online panel, who completed the survey online. I-link Panel is an Australian online research panel managed by I-link Research Solutions, specialising in providing high-quality online fieldwork and survey samples for market and social research projects.

The 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. It is screened for accuracy, completeness and privacy purposes before being provided to the ACMA. A range of quality assurance processes aligned with best-practice consumer research guidelines and internal data governance processes are used. This includes weighting the data to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures to be representative of the Australian adult 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 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 2025 ACS, response rates were different by survey. For Survey 1, the overall response rate was 23.8% based on completions from the total number of active panel members invited to take part in the survey (n=25,218). This figure reflects a 12.0% completion rate among i-Link Research non-probability panel members (n=20,537), and a 75.1% completion rate among Life in Australia™ probability panelists (n=4,681).

Among Life in Australia™ probability panelists, the completion rate was higher for the online population (75.2%) than the offline population (67.4%). For Survey 2, the overall response rate was 75.7%. This is based on completions from the number of active panel members invited to take part in the survey (n=4,681). The completion rate was higher for the online population (75.7%) than the online population (73.5%).

Relevance 

Data and insights from the ACS:

• help the ACMA to understand market developments and consumer trends in areas related directly to the questionnaire
• provide an evidence base to inform our policy development and decision making
• assess the effectiveness of regulatory interventions
• assist 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 2025 fieldwork was from 16 to 30 June.

The ACS publicly available content is then published on the ACMA’s website as a series of interactive report series.

Collection

The ACS Methodology is published on the ACMA’s website as part of the reporting process. All methodological processes are quality assured and comply with research and data governance guides within the ACMA.

All of SRC’s work is conducted in accordance with ISO 20252:2019 and ISO 27001:2013 quality standards, the Australian Market and Social Research Society Code of professional behaviour, and the Australian Privacy Principles and the Privacy (Market and Social Research) Code 2021.

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 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.