Todays musing concerns TGI, that bastion, or not of consumer research.

Much amusement has always focused around the relative bluntness of 'lifestyle statements' which ask respondents on the level to which they agree to a long and sometimes amusing list of questions about their attitudes to the world around them.

Corkers from the UK questionaire include the likes of ;

'real men drink beer', 'I like to drive fast' and 'a womans place is in the home'

But it's been fascinating looking through the equivalent Russian survey which has a rather eyeopening list which include 'sometimes I think of things which it is better not to mention to others', 'it is unwise to express your opinion', 'Russia should ban imported products' and my favourite....'I am proud that I have both masculine and feminine characteristics'.

My point is not to chuckle..but to say this. You can do a lot worse when learning about a culture of a nation by reading the kind of questions that are asked in surveys.

Fascinating stuff.