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Home » Why the Washington Market

2007 Washington Leadership Study

The 2007 Washington Leadership study gives advertisers the most accurate, unbiased and timely information about a unique audience.

Key Findings

• The survey was conducted by QSA Research and Strategy, an independent research firm with an expertise in executive research.
• The study consists of 450 completed telephone interviews with top congressional staff and political appointees. This number represents a significant portion of the entire universe of Washington leaders.
• This universe is defined by the Congressional Yellow Book and the Federal Yellow Book. The top echelon of leaders listed is surveyed.
• The telephone format of the survey assures that responses are from the decision-makers themselves.
• The interviews were conducted “blind,” to avoid any bias toward the survey sponsor.
• All answers reflect the respondents’ unaided and unprompted recall.
• The survey measures regular readership, rather than occasional readership, in order to provide a more accurate picture of true readership. Regular readership gives advertisers a higher degree of reliability that they will reach their target audience with any one advertising insertion.

Most important source of news and information about public affairs

1. Washington leaders say that newspapers followed by the Internet are their two most important sources of news and information about public affairs, and The Washington Post and washingtonpost.com are the clear leaders in these categories.(See findings #2 and #5.)

Percent of all Washington Leaders

Newspapers and Capitol Hill publications read regularly* by Washington Leaders

2. The Washington Post is read regularly* by 79% of leaders in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. This is far more than any other daily newspaper or Capitol Hill publication.

Percent of all Washington Leaders

Newspapers and Capitol Hill publications read regularly* by Executive Branch Leaders

3. The Washington Post is the only newspaper or Capitol Hill publication that regularly reaches* a substantial portion of executive branch leaders.

Percent of all Executive Branch Leaders

Major daily newspapers read by Washington Leaders

4. A look at “exclusive regular” and “busy day preferential” readership of daily newspapers shows the extraordinary importance of The Washington Post to Washington’s leadership. Four in ten Washington leaders choose The Post exclusively as the one newspaper they read on a regular basis, and another 24% prefer to read The Post when they have time to read only one newspaper.

(1) “Exclusive regular” readership = regularly read only one paper

(2) “Busy day preferential” readership = when only have time to read one paper

Percent of all Washington Leaders

Web sites used for news and public policy information by Washington Leaders

5. washingtonpost.com is the website used most often by Washington leaders for news and information on public policy.

Among all Washington Leaders who use the internet (90%)

Responses to paid public policy messages in print or online newspapers

6. Washington leaders respond to paid public policy messages in print or online newspapers.

Percent of all Washington Leaders

Publications read for professional purposes by Washington Leaders

7. The Washington Post has many times the reach of any other publication that Washington leaders report reading professionally.

Percent of all Washington Leaders

*Regular readership is defined as readership of at least three out of every four issues of a publication.

Source: 2007 Washington Leadership Study, conducted by QS&A Research and Strategy

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