Compass Research

About Compass Research:

Compass Research is the social and market research arm of Cairns based Cummings Economics.

The firm has been providing professional market and social research services to clients ranging from Sydney to the Torres Strait and across to the Northern Territory, since the early 1980’s.

The firm has a highly experienced team that can carry out tasks promptly and efficiently. The firm is a long standing member of the Australian Market and Social Research Society and adheres to the highest standards of professional conduct and confidentiality.

Apart from having carried out numerous quantitative household and business telephone, shopping centre and street surveys, the firm has carried out numerous qualitative research tasks involving focus groups and in-depth interviewing.

Because of its location, the firm has particularly strong experience in:

Research in a regional community context.
Organising and carrying out surveying away from its home base.
Visitor interviewing and airport interviewing, including in non-English languages.
Research in indigenous communities.

The firm’s clients over the years read like a 'Who’s Who' in business, organisations and governments in the north, including many leading firms, key regional organisations, government departments and agencies.

The firm’s quality research work stands behind many of the region’s successful projects, much of its marketing, and the successful functioning over the years of many businesses and agencies.

For further information, contact Principal, W S (Bill) Cummings. Further details are available on Cummings Economics website www.cummings.net.au

Recent Research:

Recent work has included:

Dengue fever awareness research.
HIV/AIDS awareness and attitudes among travellers to Papua New Guinea.
Awareness of various advertising campaigns.
Surveys at Cairns and Port Moresby airports.
Surveys in Torres Strait and the remote Gulf area including indigenous populations.
Attitudes to Natural Resource Management programs.
Public transport usage and attitudes.
Water usage and issues.
Airport quality surveys.
Shopping hours reactions.
Reaction to a proposed tourist attraction.
CBD pedestrian counts.
Delphi responses to proposed education courses.
Surveys of students.
Media usage surveys.
Business responses re needs and issues in provision of services ex Cairns to the mining sector.
Business responses re needs and issues in the maritime industries sector.

Reports/Publications Available

Monthly Monitoring of Tourism Conditions: From Oct 2009, Compass Research carried out a monthly survey of recent business in the tourism industry, current factors affecting the industry and short term expectations. Summary of results of the survey are available to all Tourism Tropical North Queensland members and full reports are made available to respondents.

Tourism Repositioning Study - Research Elements: In December / January 2008/09, Compass Research carried out extensive market research as part of the TNQ Repositioning Study carried out by Bill Calderwood and Kleinhardt business consultants. The resulting reports are now publicly available and can be viewed on this website in the following parts (click on each to download).

Part A - Introduction & Overview of Results .pdf 242kb

Part B - Visitors Survey

B1 Australian Visitors, Sample 306 .pdf 1,251kb
B2 UK Visitors, Sample 300 .pdf 1,317kb
B3 Visitors from Japan, Sample 282 .pdf 1,428kb
B4 Visitors from China, Sample 101 .pdf 1,190kb
B5 Visitors from Korea, Sample 60 .pdf 1,244kb

Part C - Telephone Survey - Australian Residents, Sample 600 households .pdf 1,295kb

Part D - Focus Groups - Cairns Tourism Operators - UK, Japan, China, Korea .pdf 187kb

Part E - On Line Survey - Overseas Agents, Sample 54 .pdf 2,162kb

All .pdf (Portable Document Format) documents will open up automatically in Google Docs, where you have the option to download or print. To download a light .pdf viewer, try Foxit Reader 3 or download Adobe Reader 9.

Annual Media Survey: Compass Research supported by the Cairns Post carried out its latest Annual Survey late in 2009. The survey again measured Cairns use of newspapers, television, radio, local magazines and the internet. The research also investigated how residents consume different mediums and how useful they find them for advertising messages.

A copy of the report is expected to be finished and become available during March.