POR Annual Report 2001-2002
Custom vs. Syndicated Studies
Comparison of Custom and Syndicated Studies (millions of dollars)
 [D]
Custom public opinion research is research that an organization commissions from a private firm. The product is “customized” to fit the specific research needs of the department or agency. Once the report is rendered, the department owns the copyright of the report and all materials generated from the project may be shared with anyone the department wishes. In contrast, research firms own the copyright for syndicated studies. Departments purchase subscriptions to these studies and may not share the results with other departments.
Custom research continues to account for the vast majority of government public opinion research. The cost of syndicated studies increased from $3.1 million in 2000-2001 to just over $4 million this fiscal year. The cost of custom research increased by $6.3 million from what it was two years ago.
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