The firm’s magazine study, which measures readership for ad planning purposes, has been carried out through in-home surveys with consumers since 1979 and the questionnaire has now been tweaked to cover digital reading.

Testing into whether the language on questionnaires needed to be changed to reflect readership through computers, mobiles and tablet devices began earlier this year when 1,000 in-home interviews were carried out.

Julian Baim, the firm’s chief research officer said: “Now is the time to transition our in-home surveys to deliver comprehensive multi-platform measurement of print brands. This represents a significant change in the way our survey questionnaire is worded, and the result will be a much clearer picture of how consumers are reading magazines today and well into the future.”

Baim said that it was “easy for consumers to get confused” when they are asked about their magazine consumption and that the new questionnaire would cover all aspects of digital magazines, including electronic reproductions, text-only versions and apps designed for mobiles.