Since 2003, Doremus and the Financial Times have annually partnered to survey senior executives around the globe to learn their views on a range of business topics. The Q4 2011 Decision Dynamics online survey had over 600 respondents representing a mix of company sizes and industries in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Here are some of the findings:

Media 24/7
As in previous years, the latest survey shows that global executives have an insatiable appetite for information. At any given time of day, they are using multiple forms of media, both traditional and new, to stay informed.

Respondents who read traditional print publications do so, for the most part, in printed formats. Those under the age of 45 were more inclined to ‘read’ online than their older counterparts, but only a quarter of the younger age group read newspapers or magazines “mostly online.”

Digital and social media play a significant role in media consumption.
While six out of ten global executives use social networking sites for leisure, very few respondents access virtual worlds, social bookmarking, location-based apps and personal blogs.

When asked which media activities they participate in frequently, “professional networking” was used most often while at work, and “watching online videos” had the highest frequency of use during leisure time (both at 30%). A majority of those surveyed watch online videos, read blogs and access webcasts/podcasts for both leisure and for work.

While there were few significant changes from 2010 in both traditional and online media habits, the use of “community sites” and “social bookmarking” declined by more than 10%, while the use of Twitter increased by 13%.

Hope Picker, Doremus Director of Strategic Research, said, “While use of many digital media is higher among the under-45 group than among older respondents, even the 55-plus group appears to be pretty digitally savvy and are using quite a few of the newer media both for work and for leisure. As the younger generation moves into higher-level positions, we can expect usage to continue to grow.”