Skip to Main Content

MRI-Simmons Insights: An introduction

This guide will assist users in understanding how to use the MRI-Simmons database. In particular, users will learn how to run CrossTabs and Quick Reports.

Access MRI-Simmons

Use the link below to access MRI-Simmons through Penn State Libraries:

MRI-Simmons can also be found on the Libraries' A-Z Database list under "S" as "Simmons Insights (Replaced Simmons OneView as of July 1, 2019.)"

To access MRI-Simmons through Penn State Libraries, please make sure you are logged into the Penn State system with your PSU credentials.

About MRI-Simmons

MRI-Simmons Insights is a comprehensive source of consumer data that encompasses a broad range of information.The data is obtained from the National Consumer Study (NCS), which is an annual survey of US consumers' buying and media habits. The most recent available data is three years old. Users can create custom reports that analyze the demographic and psychographic characteristics of product users and their media behavior.

The data for Simmons Insights is obtained from samples of the US population that participate in the Simmons NCS survey several times a year. The available studies include Simmons Kids, Simmons Teens, and Simmons Connect, with the latter study also incorporating the National Hispanic Consumer Study (NHCS), which includes the same data as the NCS but with additional questions specifically tailored to Hispanic consumers.

The two research tools in Simmons Insights that the library subscribes to are:

1. Crosstabs - allows for finding specific insights on a target (demographic pool/people you want to study ), or for comparing variables across multiple targets

2. Quick Reports - allows users to create reports that provide an overview of a specific target