Author Archives: Ekas Marketing

Medical industry pressures are placing an intolerable strain on staff

An overwhelming majority (85%) of Australian medical professionals believe their peers are at a heightened risk of burnout compared to the general population, EKAS Market Research’s latest survey shows.

Complicating the issue is the finding that 84% of the same survey group said there is a strong stigma against those in the medical profession seeking help.

These recently collated views of Australia’s medical practitioners are corroborated by other sources. A landmark BeyondBlue study conducted in 2013 found one in five medical students and one in 10 doctors had suicidal thoughts in the past year.

Additionally, the BeyondBlue survey showed more than four in 10 medical students and a quarter of doctors are highly likely to have a minor psychiatric disorder, such as mild depression or anxiety. The study also found 3.4% of doctors experienced very high psychological distress, a rate far higher than the general community.

EKAS’s own survey of nearly 500 Australian medical practitioners, which delved into a range of issues, revealed several other alarming statistics.

Younger and regional doctors considered at a heightened risk

Although the medical profession at large suffers a greater mental health affliction, its youngest employees are perceived to be at greatest risk. When asked whether young practitioners are at a higher risk of burnout, 44% agreed they were, while 28% regarded the risks as the same irrespective of age. A further 22% said younger practitioners were at a lower risk, while 6% could not decide.

Remoteness was another factor observed as a key contributor to burnout. There were 46% of respondents who rated regional medical practitioners as being at a higher risk, while 31% assessed the risks as the same wherever they practiced. Only 9% rated regionally-based doctors at a lower risk and a further 14% could not decide.

Working with a mental health burden

The attitudes of medical practitioners themselves can be considered problematic, with updated BeyondBlue research from 2019 revealing 40% judged their peers with mental health concerns as less capable.

EKAS’s survey similarly showed that just 5% of medical practitioners thought a physician could practice competently while dealing with a mental health issue. There were 27% who categorically said they could not do so, while the majority (68%) said it was dependent on the severity and nature of the disorder.

As for whether the current resources were adequate for dealing with physician burnout, the view of the profession was scathing.

There were 56% of those surveyed who said the channels for help weren’t sufficient, while only 6% felt they were. Another 25% felt there were adequate resources to help but they weren’t being utilised properly and another 13% didn’t know enough about the options to comment.

Causes of burnout

The sheer number of hours that medical staff were required to work was rated as the most significant contributing factor to burnout, with 69% of those surveyed including it.

This was followed by 57% who cited a perfectionistic, high achieving personality type, 55% who saw a stigma around seeking help, 52% who flagged the relationship between patient illness and death, and 50% who said there was not enough clinical or professional help.

Almost a third (32%) said there wasn’t enough devoted mental health support, while 27% said there was inadequate resilience support and training from universities.

When asked to pick out the single most significant factor influencing burnout in medical professionals, 24% cited the length of workdays, 17% the effect of patient illness and death and 15% a perfectionistic, high achieving personality type that would not allow themselves the respite they needed.

Why do they suffer in silence?

It is well established that medical practitioners not addressing their mental health is a significant factor in burnout and suicide. It appears the contributing factors are well understood however, with roughly two thirds of respondents citing every one of the survey’s reasons for not disclosing a mental health issue.

All told, the perceived reasons for not disclosing mental health struggles included fear of judgement from colleagues (78%), fear of being deregistered (72%), the high achieving personality type of medical practitioners (66%), confusion around AHPRA reporting guidelines (65%) and the perception that doctors needed to be seen as resilient (64%).

What can be done?

A high number of respondents (83%) said better work-life balance for medical practitioners was required, followed by improved lifestyle factors like diet, health, exercise and meditation (66%) and the need for a reduced stigma around seeking clinical help (56%).

Interestingly, all three top ranking factors related to either self-care or a perceived need for more understanding among the wider profession. It points to a general insularity, and a sense that if medical practitioners can help others, they can help themselves.

Additionally, there were 53% of those polled who said clarity around AHRPA guidelines was needed and 52% who cited a stronger clinical health system.

As for having the mental health issue dealt with mandatorily, only 28% said there should be required counselling with specialised GPs or psychologists.

It’s a finding that suggests implementing step change for dealing with mental health in the medical profession would require a hearts and minds campaign of some scale. But, given the stark findings of this and other surveys, now appears to be the time.

If you need to talk to someone, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or BeyondBlue on 1300 22 44 36

Footnotes

For the purposes of this study, burnout was defined as mental exhaustion and/or mild depression or anxiety.

Survey numbers: This EKAS survey polled 474 medical professionals across all Australian states and territories. There were 51% who identified as GPs, 44% who identified as specialists and 5% who identified as surgeons. Of the total survey group, 4% identified as registrars. The average time practicing was 22.1 years.

If you are seeking content for an upcoming event or would like some preliminary information (short poll) for a client proposal, please reach out to EKAS and we’d be happy to help. EKAS received 377 responses for this survey within the first seven business days and respondents went into a draw to win a $100 prize.

Hummingbird Insight’s deep dive into financial and medical probabilities

Question 1

Group One were asked if they would prefer to receive $50 today or $100 in six months?

Group Two were asked if they would prefer $50 in six months or $100 in 12 months?

The results found that 39% of Group One preferred $50 today, compared to 61% who said they’d rather $100 in six months.

For Group Two, 25% preferred $50 in six months while 75% would rather $100 in 12 months.

Researcher and expert in consumer, cognitive and organisational psychology, Adrian Camilleri, said, “Question 1 showed that people were much more willing to wait six months for an extra $50 when all the payoffs were far into the future compared to today.”

Question 2

Group One were asked if they would take this bet: We flip one fair coin one time. If it lands on heads you gain $110 but if it lands on tails you lose $100?

Group Two were asked if they would take this bet: We flip one fair coin 100 times. Each time it lands on heads you gain $110 but each time it lands on tails you lose $100?

In Group One, 80% of respondents said they wouldn’t take the bet, compared to 20% who would. In Group Two, 46% said no, while 54% would take the bet.

“For Question 2, respondents were much more willing to gamble when the bet was to be played many times. But if the one-off single bet was bad, isn’t this just 100 bad bets?” Camilleri said.

Question 3

Group One were asked if they would prefer: An option offering a 100% chance of $30 or an option offering an 80% chance of $40, otherwise $0.

Group Two were asked if they would take this bet: An option that has recently paid out the following outcomes: $30, $30, $30, $30, $30, $30, $30, $30, $30, $30? Or an option that has recently paid out the following outcomes: $40, $40, $0, $40, $40, $40, $40, $40, $0, $40?

In Group One, 91% voted for the first option with just 9% opting for the second option. In Group Two, 48% voted for the first option and 52% voted for the second option.

“Question 3 showed that people were much more willing to choose the riskier option when the probabilities of each outcome were not explicitly described,” Camilleri said.

Question 4

Group One were asked if they preferred: An option that could lead to a $150 loss with a probability of 19%? Or an option that could lead to a $30 loss with a probability of 98%?

Group Two were asked if they preferred: An option that could lead to memory loss with a probability of 19%? Or an option that could lead to fever with a probability of 98%?

In Group One 60% voted for the first option and 40% voted for the second option. In Group Two, 11% voted for the first option and 89% voted for the second option.

With Question 4, we observed that respondents were much more willing to choose an option with a very bad possible outcome when considering options with financial (rather than medical) consequences,” Camilleri said.

If you are looking for some content for an upcoming event or would like some preliminary info (short poll) for a client proposal, please reach out to EKAS and we’d be happy to help.

Sport is feeding the hunger for pay TV and streaming services

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It’s official. EKAS Market Research’s latest survey reveals that paid TV platforms and their rich sporting ecosystems are convincing increasing numbers of Aussie sports fans to hand over their hard earned. Today more than 55% of Aussies watch sport behind a paywall, while there are 80% of us who watch sport on free to air TV.

And it’s the AFL and NRL – Australia’s blue chip football codes – along with cricket and tennis, that are leading the way. All four sports now attract a higher percentage of viewers on pay TV and streaming services than on free to air TV (although more people in total still watch these sports on free to air TV).

Elsewhere, in terms of gender-balanced viewing, tennis was revealed to be the bona fide darling of our sporting pantheon. It’s the only blue chip sport with a major sponsorship deal – Channel 9 paid $60 million per year to air the Australian Open from 2020 to 2024 – that attracts a roughly even number of both male and female viewers.

And where broadcast deals are concerned, it is fast becoming a genuine case of the haves and have-nots across the Australian sporting landscape. While AFL, NRL, cricket and tennis are prized by broadcasters, several other sports are either shunted to secondary free to air (FTA) channels or shown only as replays well outside prime time.

The current picture: sports on FTA channels vs pay TV and streaming services

Confirmation of what we already knew perhaps, but Australia is a nation of sports junkies. When polled on their free to air sporting viewership, 44.3% said they were regular watchers, 36.2% said they occasionally watched and less than a fifth (19.5%) said they never watched sports.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, 60.5% of males described themselves as regular watchers of FTA sport, 28.9% said they watched occasionally and just 10.6% said they never did so. Nearly three quarters of Aussie women consider themselves sports fans too though, with 32.1% regular viewers, 41.7% occasional viewers and just 26.2% eschewing the spectacle.

Behind the paywall, it appears that the development of consistent, high quality content is enticing new fans. On Foxtel, the AFL and NRL both have dedicated channels, while last year’s cricket rights deal now sees every Big Bash fixture – of which there were 59 last summer – screened on the network.

Today, 30.1% of Australians are regular viewers of sport on pay TV or streaming services (45.4% male, 18.3% female), 25% are occasional viewers (19.2% male, 29.3% female) and 44.9% do not consume sport via these paid platforms (35.4% male, 52% female).

Bums on seats

In terms of attending live sport it’s Australia’s two biggest football codes – with their lengthy 22 and 26 round seasons – that draw most fans. When asked which sports they have attended in the last year, AFL matches attracted 28.3% of respondents and NRL games 25%. Our national pastime of cricket drew 22.2%, while 19.5% turn up for the tennis.

Attendances at sports outside the big four of AFL, NRL, cricket and tennis are considerably smaller – also reflected in their on-screen viewership (highlighted in the next section).

Which sports are grabbing the eyeballs?

One of the more interesting findings across the myriad of screens is that tennis has comfortably the closest gender mix of viewers. It’s an alignment of spectatorship that reflects the virtual parity between the men’s and women’s game at the highest level.

On FTA TV tennis is viewed by 32.9% of Australians, (33.5% male, 32.4% female), while cricket draws 28.5%, AFL 25.2% and NRL 21.5%. Across the latter three sports there’s a distinct skew towards male viewers – more than 10% higher numbers in each instance.

Swimming sees an inversion. Overall 18.9% of Aussies watch pool-based action on FTA TV, but more women switch on than men (21% to 16%). Super Netball draws just 6.1% of us, but again with more female viewers tuning in (9% to 2%).

Elsewhere on FTA TV, soccer attracts 16.3% of viewers, Super Rugby 14.2%, golf 11.2%, A-League 9.8%, NBL (basketball) 9.6% and AFLW 7.7% (with slightly more males than females watching – 10% to 7%). Just over a quarter of those surveyed (25.8%) watch none of these sports.

Where subscription TV and streaming services are concerned, sport is an even more significant factor in viewership terms.

Foxtel’s recent cricket broadcasting coup (which saw it and Network 7 splash $1.2 billion over six years) has seen the network gain a large piece of the action, and consequently 38.8% of those surveyed now watch the game on pay TV or streaming services.

Next is tennis (37.6% – with exactly 37.6% of both genders watching), AFL (36.8%), NRL (33.7%), swimming (17.3% with 21% female viewers to 13% male), Super Rugby (15.4%) and golf (13.8%). In what might be a concern for local administrators, the A-League, with 13.2% viewership trails English Premier League and world soccer, which draws 14.6% of us.

Across paid platforms only a few sports attract less than 10% viewership – NBL (basketball) draws 8.3%, AFLW 5.9% and netball 5.3%. AFLW, despite only being a few years in existence, has already surpassed netball viewership. And with the AFL spruiking further investment in the women’s game, it’s likely to continue to capture more eyeballs in the years ahead.

One final revealing figure around the importance of sport for pay TV and streaming services is this: less than a quarter (23.6%) of respondents watch no sport via these platforms.

The rise of streaming and paid platforms

It’s well documented that the last five years have seen an explosion in paid subscriptions for TV platforms in Australia. From a zero-base five years ago our survey suggests Netflix is now in 51% of Aussie households, while Foxtel is in the abodes of 36% of respondents. Local streaming upstart Stan has 16% penetration, Fetch 8.6%, sports-oriented streaming service Kayo 8%, and Apple TV 5.5%. It’s a sign of the times that today just 28.5% of Aussies have no subscription or pay TV of any kind.

Arguably less surprising is that uptake rates with new streaming services are highest with tech-savvy youngsters. For instance, 79% of 18-24 year olds and 73% of 25-34 year olds have a Netflix subscription, while 57% of 18-24 year olds and 44% of 25-34 year olds have Foxtel – although it seems a fair assumption that many of these respondents are including a family home subscription.

For the sports mad, Kayo seems to be making an impact with the youngsters too. Its $25 a month offering has enticed 29% of 18-24 year olds and 17% of 25-34 year olds.

Generally speaking, as the age brackets rise from younger to older, streaming services decline in uptake. Only 9% of 18-24 year olds have no pay TV or streaming services, while 46% of 65+ respondents said the same.

On the flipside 64.2% said a sports-driven streaming service wasn’t for them, with 53.7% of males and 72.1% of females voting this way. Willingness to take such a subscription up ran highest in the younger age demographics.

For those without a streaming service, an additional sports focus is creating some desire to join the party. When asked whether additional access to sport would encourage them to subscribe, roughly 35.8% say they are amenable to taking up a subscription (with 46.3% of males and 27.9% of females agreeing).

Total recall?

Australia’s lesser viewed sports could potentially benefit from a marketing blitz if EKAS’s latest survey is anything to go by.

When polled on which sport Suncorp was the major sponsor of, only 14.7% correctly selected (or guessed) Super Netball. Some 10.2% plumped for Super Rugby, 2.4% for A-League, 1.4% for AFLW, 1.2% for NBL (basketball) and 0.9% for Swimming Australia. The other 69% confessed to not knowing which sport Suncorp sponsored.

Similarly, networks may also need to up their marketing of more niche sports codes. In total, 70.9% of respondents admitted they had no idea who the broadcaster of Australia’s top basketball league – the NBL – was going to be when it tips off again in October.

Just 9.1% answered correctly that it is SBS, whilst a further 9.3% thought it was former broadcaster Network 10, 6.3% thought Channel 9 had the rights and 3.3% selected Channel 7, while just 1.2% guessed the ABC.

Interestingly, the recall rate for both these questions strongly favoured males. There were 14% who knew basketball was headed to SBS next year compared to just 6% of females. As for Suncorp’s big sporting play, 17% of males identified Super Netball compared to 13% of females – this despite females far outnumbering male viewers of the sport.