(August 2005) – Parenting Publications of America has confirmed? based on results of a recent readership study? that a majority of its readers are educated women in their 30s with buying power for families with an average income of more than $69,000. Businesses should know that these readers look to advertisements in PPA member publications for information on goods and services they need to purchase.
PPA commissioned Readex Research of Stillwater, MN (www.readexresearch.com) to conduct a survey of member publications. House ads directing readers to the online survey were published by participating members during the 2nd quarter of 2005. The national incentive of a drawing for a Jamaican vacation, plus $500 spending money, was offered.
The following are some highlights of the results of the surveys indicating the strong support PPA member publications have in their communities. Findings are from the Readex report, which compiled data received from 10,000 tabulated responses:
PURCHASING PLANS
? 41% say they look at most of the ads in the PPA magazine, and 34% say they look at all/almost all of those ads.
? 26% of respondents frequently use ads in PPA magazines to make purchasing decisions, and 62% sometimes do.
? 75% are the primary shopper for their children and 71% for the home.
? 14% plan to purchase a home in the next year (7% to re-finance, 6% to sell their home).
? 42% plan to decorate/re-decorate, 34% to landscape, 16% to do a major replacement project, 14% to remodel and 12% to add a deck/patio in the next year.
? 33% plan to take two vacations or long weekends in the next year, and 23% plan to take three.
READER PROFILE
? 92% of respondents are females (44% of them are between 35-44 and 36% of them are between 25-34). 38% of them are college graduates and 18% have a post-graduate degree, while 24% have some college.
? 25% earned $50,000-$74,999, 19% earned $75,000-$99,999, and 14% earned $100,000-$149,999 in total household income before taxes in 2004 (median is $69,000).
? 47% of respondents have children between 5-9 living at home, and 40% have children 2-4. Team sports, swimming and music were close in ranking as popular after-school activities, followed by dance, gymnastics, after-school care programs and martial arts.
? Only 39% said they also subscribe to the Sunday newspaper, and only 35% subscribe to the daily newspaper. Even fewer, (34%), subscribe to a national parenting publication or (38%) to a national women’s magazine.
? 62% own a domestic vehicle (with the most popular being Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge). 59% own an import vehicle, with the most popular being Honda, Toyota and Nissan.
MEMBER PUBLICATIONS
? 42% of respondents spend 15-29 minutes reading a PPA publication, and 37% spend 30-59 minutes.
? 92% say the calendar of local events is vital, followed closely by articles on education, health, parenting, arts/entertainment and guides/listings (schools, camps, etc.).
? 45% report that they read all four of the last issues being surveyed.
? On average, 2.3 people read each issue of the PPA magazine.
? 29% of respondents frequently keep their copy for future reference, and 47% sometimes do.
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Established in March 1988, PPA is a national trade association of regional parenting publications that reaches from Seattle to Boston and from Minneapolis to Miami, and to Canada and Australia. Some of the publications are tabloid newspapers; others are magazines, with 4-color, glossy covers. Headquartered in Los Angeles, PPA is a nonprofit national organization representing 110 parenting magazines and newspapers in the United States, Canada and Australia. For more information about this survey and about PPA, call 323/937-5514 or visit online: www.parentingpublications.org.
Started in 1998, AlbemarleFamily is dedicated to being “The Ultimate Resource Making Parenting Easier & Growing Up Fun”. Their popular weekly web site underwent a complete remodeling in 2003 and the new site now receives over a quarter of a million hits and provides over 18,000 visitors each month with extensive community resources. In addition to the web site, AlbemarleFamily also publishes a weekly e-Newsletter, quarterly print Magazine, and an annual Directory of Family Services. AlbemarleFamily also has a “live” presence in our community that you discover when you look through their publications and see drawings and poetry from local kids, families creating art at AlbemarleFamily Care Exhibits at festivals, area schoolchildren actively engaged in helping to create Bumble’s Clubhouse and more.