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Data quality statement
| Data asset name | ACMA annual consumer survey datasets |
| Date | 24 August 2026 |
| Purpose |
The ACMA’s annual consumer surveys (ACS) are nationally representative surveys that explore Australian adults’ take-up and use, and attitudes towards communications and media services. Data and insights from the ACS help meet our statutory obligations and support the ACMA to make regulatory decisions informed by evidence. |
| Description of data asset |
The ACS is the ACMA’s primary source of consumer survey data on Australian adults’ use of, and attitudes and behaviours towards communications services. We receive de-identified data from the Social Research Centre (SRC), which is commissioned by the ACMA to undertake this research. The data comprises participant responses to survey questions and, where applicable, qualitative information collected through interviews, focus groups or open-ended survey questions. Data files are structured according to variables determined by the ACMA, reflecting research priorities, survey content in each collection year and other relevant factors. Selected ACS data from 2017 onwards is published as part of the Communications and media in Australia report series. Selected data from 2022 onwards is published as part of the News media in Australia series. Data used in the interactive reports is available for download directly from individual report tables. The full ACS dataset is not publicly available. |
| Legislation and authority |
The dataset is collected under the Australian Communications and Media Authority Act 2005. The Privacy Act 1988 guides Australian Government agencies in the handling of personal information. |
| Scope and coverage |
Publicly available ACS data includes aggregated survey results from the quantitative research of Australian adults and findings from associated qualitative research, where undertaken. ACS data presented in charts or tables in ACMA reports are published with .XLSX or .CSV accessibility files available to download from the website or directly from the Power BI report. Our research reports featuring ACS data are usually released in .PDF or Power BI format. Charts and reports published in Power BI format on the ACMA website allow the public, researchers and other interested stakeholders to view and interact with ACS data within the Power BI interface, which includes a range of filtering and analysis options. All ACS data is de-identified by the SRC before delivery to the ACMA. Personal information is removed to ensure individuals cannot be identified from their unit level responses or from aggregate records. As a result, raw data for some panel profile variables (e.g. postcode and age in years) is not available. |
| Reference period |
The ACMA began collecting a version of the ACS in May 2007. Key methodological amendments were made in 2017 and annual reviews of content have been made to ensure relevance to the changing environment and ACMA priorities. Core aspects of the ACS have been maintained as a time series and data is available for comparative analysis from 2017. The time series analysis available for other data varies, and is noted in the ACMA data sets and in published reports where relevant. |
| Frequency and timing | ACS data is currently collected and published annually. |
| Formats available |
The data is provided to the ACMA in multiple formats, including IBM SPSS (.SAV) files, Q data tables (.QPack) and Excel tables (.XLSX), which may include verbatim responses (e.g. open-ended survey, interview or focus group transcripts), code frames, coded datasets, analysis tables and other forms of analysis summaries or case studies. Publicly available versions of ACS data accompany published reports and are available in .XLSX or .CSV format. |
Data quality description
Accuracy
The dataset is considered to be an accurate reflection of the views of adult Australians at the time of fieldwork, as it was produced in accordance with best practice consumer research.
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 more robust analysis of key population subgroups, in 2025 SRC supplemented their Life in Australia™ sample for ACS Survey 1 with qualifying participants from a non-probability online panel. Those respondents completed the survey online and data was processed, suitably weighted and integrated into the final ACS dataset by SRC. The non-probability sample was sourced from the i-Link Panel which is an Australian online research panel managed by i-Link Research Solutions, specialising in providing survey samples and online fieldwork for market and social research projects.
The SRC ensures that all sample meets specific quotas in key demographic characteristics of the Australian population, such as age, gender and location.
Data collected through the SRC’s software is analysed at key points by SRC’s relevant specialist teams. It is screened for quality assurance, accuracy, completeness and adherence to privacy requirements before being provided to the ACMA. A range of processes aligned with best-practice consumer research guidelines and internal data governance processes are used. This includes coding of verbatim responses and weighting the data to Australian Bureau of Statistics population estimates to ensure survey data is 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.
ACS data is converted to .CSV for reporting in Power BI format that is published on the ACMA website. The Power BI reports are subject to further standard quality assurance checks involving both manual and semi-automated data processes.
Qualitative data (where applicable) is subject to quality assurance processes including validation of coding frameworks, review of de-identified transcripts and verbatim data, and checks to ensure thematic analysis is robust, consistent, and aligned with research objectives.
Completeness
ACS data reflects all survey respondents who completed the survey, apart from responses that SRC has removed in its quality assurance processes due to being invalid/incomplete. We conduct independent quality assurance checks on the data to ensure completeness by comparing sample and response totals against expected results.
For the 2025 ACS, response rates varied 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) across the probability and non-probability components. This figure reflects a 75.1% completion rate among Life in Australia™ probability invited panellists (n=4,681) and a 12.0% completion rate among i-Link Research non-probability invited panellists (n=20,537).
The completion rate for the Life in Australia™ probability component 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 offline 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 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 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 year. In 2025, fieldwork was conducted from 16 to 30 June.
The ACS publicly available content is then released on the ACMA’s website as a series of interactive reports and other reports.
Collection
The methodology for the collection of ACS data is published on the ACMA’s website as part of the reporting process. All collection and other methodological processes are quality assured and comply with the ACMA’s research and data governance requirements and with key industry standards.
The research services provided by the SRC are conducted in accordance with ISO 20252:2019 and ISO 27001:2013 quality standards, the Australian Market and Social Research Society Code of Professional Behaviour, 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 primarily a time-series survey, tracking consumer behaviour and attitudes over time.
Since 2017, the ACMA has commissioned the SRC to conduct the ACS, providing a high level of consistency in the ACS time series data and resulted in administrative efficiencies in managing 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, and providing 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 appropriate software including Q, SPSS, and .XLSX/.CSV formats, which aligns with common industry practice for quantitative and qualitative data provision. Published data meets accessibility standards to ensure it 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.