Not a day goes past without someone releasing results of their survey into the media as news.

Surveys done well can make interesting news and develop a good public profile for your organisation. Case in point is the research completed by recruitment company Hudson released today and picked up by the mainstream media. The research results highlight that more than half of New Zealander’s are considering changing their jobs. While this is unlikely to come as any surprise to most people it is an interesting thought piece and can only help Hudson to develop themselves as a thought leader in their industry.

It is important to follow this process with some caution though as research poorly undertaken or poorly communicated can just as easily leave you with egg on your face. Case in point is a press release from uSwitch in the UK who stated that 9 million (35%) will go without a pay rise.” The release was timed to coincide with the run-up to Wednesday’s UK Budget, designed to get maximum publicity for the company.

Yet as Sam Coates highlights in Dodgy uSwitch surveys do nobody any favours the findings were from a YouGov survey “revealed” that 29% of teachers and a quarter of civil servants will not be receiving pay rises. It appears then that the statement made in the press release was based on a manipulation of a consumer confidence question, and therefore deeply flawed.

In situations like this more harm than good can be achieved with your research results and it is imperative that any results you release into the public domain are effectivly bullet proof to any serious criticism.