• Average full-time income has risen to £64,817, the highest recorded in the State of the Profession series and 22% above the 2024 figure. However, the reported gender pay gap has also risen to £5,539, up from £3,894 in 2024.
• A quarter of PR practitioners use AI professionally without any formal AI policy or guidance. 81% believing the skills that make PR professionals valuable cannot be replicated by AI while 76% believe AI-generated content risks damaging trust in public relations.
• The biggest identified challenge facing the profession is, for the first time, fake news and disinformation. AI, which ranked top in 2024, is now second.
• The majority of professionals say their workplaces are very or extremely inclusive. However, White practitioners are more likely to say this is the case compared to non-White colleagues (72% vs 57%).

• Download State of the Profession 2026
• Find out more about other CIPR Research

The survey captures practitioner perspectives on the health of the profession including skills and training needs, salaries, the reputation of PR, and how practitioners are responding to developments in artificial intelligence and the global news agenda.

Now in its fourteenth year, the State of the Profession survey is the largest and longest-running survey of its kind. The insight gathered supports the Institute to benchmark standards, guide its policy agenda, and make effective representations on behalf of the profession to business, partners, and legislators.

The survey is open to all, takes approximately 10 minutes to complete, and all participants can enter a prize draw for a £100 gift card on completion.

• Take the survey. It is open to all, CIPR member or not, and can be completed on any device in less than 10 minutes. Respondents can enter a prize draw to win a £100 gift card on completion.

After a one-year hiatus, the 'State of the Profession 2024' survey returns to capture PR practitioners' thoughts on the health of the industry. The survey explores PR's skills landscape, its commitment to professional development, views on the reputation of PR, and how the profession is adapting to the rapid proliferation of AI tools.

The insight gathered supports the CIPR to guide its policy agenda, benchmark and assess how the profession has changed and adapted in recent years, and provides industry intelligence for the Institute to make effective representations to business, partners, and legislators.

The survey is open to all, takes approximately 10 minutes to complete, and all participants can enter a prize draw for a £100 gift card on completion.

• Take the survey. It is open to all, CIPR member or not, on mobile, tablet, or desktop. It takes around 10 minutes to complete and respondents can enter a prize draw to win a £100 gift card on completion.

The 'State of the Profession - PR: Your Future' survey will gather industry-leading data as it captures practitioner views on the future of the profession on topics including salaries, pay gaps, day-to-day activities and challenges. The survey focuses on the future of the profession, practitioner career plans, and the impact of change on organisations.

Now in its twelfth year, the State of the Profession survey is the largest and longest running survey of its kind, taking into account the views of CIPR members and non-members. It provides industry intelligence to make effective representations to business groups and legislators.

Have your say. Whether you're a CIPR member or not, on your mobile, tablet or desktop, the survey will take around 5 minutes to complete. Respondents can enter a prize draw to win a £100 Amazon gift card upon completion. Complete the survey.

• Read last year's #PRinAPandemic report.

This year’s survey is shorter and includes a range of new questions, including practitioner views of networking, and a more detailed focus on social mobility. This follows last year’s data which revealed more than a quarter (28%) of the public relations workforce are privately educated – four times the national average.

Now in its 10th year, State of the Profession gathers industry-leading data on issues including salaries, strenghts and diversity. This year will see the focus of the survey shift primarily onto the practitioner, with the announcement of a second survey – State of the Industry – looking at industry trends launching later in 2020.

Have your say. Whether you're a CIPR member or not, on your mobile, tablet or desktop, the survey will take around 10 minutes to complete.

Respondents can enter a prize draw to win a £100 Amazon gift card upon completion.

The PRII Census research reaches a similar conclusion to the CIPR’s State of the Profession report, published earlier this year, by shining a light on the growth of the profession and the value public relations delivers.

The report identifies ‘communication strategy development’ as the most commonly undertaken task (79%) with media relations closely following (75%). Encouragingly a significant number of practitioners (82%) have a professional qualification relevant to their work, particularly when compared to the UK findings in State of the Profession (45%).

Worryingly, the report revealed a significant number of line-managers fail to address mental health concerns amongst employees. Almost a quarter (23%) of respondents who discussed concerns about their mental health with a manager said that nothing happened as a result of those conversations.

This year’s State of the Nation report, published by the Social Mobility Commission – a non-government department sponsored by the Department for Education – attests that “being born privileged means you are likely to remain privileged”. The report shows those from working-class backgrounds are significantly less likely to embark on a career in a professional occupation. Those that do, continue to face challenges - earning “on average 17% less than their more privileged colleagues.”

The report warns with the increased use of automation “these divides could worsen, as workers in low pay and with low qualifications are most at risk of their work being automated,” and highlights inequality deriving from ones education background. While 7% of the population attends a private school, 82% of those in private school education “are drawn from the top half of the income distribution” with more “prestigious” positions dominated by alumni from private schools. This echoes findings from CIPR’s latest State of the Profession report which shows that more than a quarter (28%) of those working in public relations attended a fee-paying school - four times higher than the national UK average of 7%.

More than a quarter (28%) of the public relations workforce are privately educated – four times the national average – according to figures revealed in the CIPR's 2018/19 State of the Profession report (PDF).

The study - delivered in partnership with Chalkstream – shows privately educated PR Professionals secure more senior roles and earn an average of £13,000 more per year than state-educated colleagues.

The findings are compounded by diversity figures which reveal BAME representation has hit a five-year low, with 92% of PR professionals describing themselves as white. Practitioners claim to believe PR is more effective when practiced by diverse teams, but the data raises serious questions over whether the industry is truly committed to addressing its diversity crisis.

Department for Education figures for England reveal ethnic minorities comprise 31% of the primary school population, yet only 8% of PR professionals are from BAME backgrounds. The decline of ethnic minorities in PR is at odds with UK population trends and poses a long-term threat to the relevance and staying-power of an industry which should reflect the society is seeks to engage.

The report also lifts the lid on a mental health epidemic facing the profession, with around a quarter (23%) of practitioners saying they took sickness absence from work on the grounds of stress, anxiety or depression.

The nature of PR work contributes directly to poor mental health amongst practitioners, according to the report. More than a fifth (21%) of respondents said they had a diagnosed mental health condition and over half (53%) said work contributed highly to their diagnosis, with unrealistic deadlines and unsociable hours cited as common causes.

Worryingly, the report reveals a significant number of line-managers fail to address mental health concerns amongst employees. Almost a quarter (23%) of respondents who discussed concerns about their mental health with a manager said that nothing happened as a result of those conversations.

Other key findings include:

• Steady commercial growth – average salaries increased slightly to £53,000 and the majority of in-house teams (84%) and consultancies (96%) are either growing or stable in size.
• Is social on the slide? - social media relations fell from the fifth most common PR activity to the ninth – the biggest shift of any task over the last year.
• Modest progress on gender pay – salary calculations, which consider all factors influencing pay such as length of service and prevalence of part-time work, reveal the pay inequality gap between men and women has fallen by £1,523 to £5,202.
• Financial reward for professionalism – those who hold CIPR membership (£2,963+), professional qualifications (£3,800+) or Chartered Practitioner status (£18,000+) earn higher average salaries than those without professional credentials.
• Senior skills gap – there’s a notable difference in the skills recruiters want and what senior professionals have to offer, including ‘research, evaluation and measurement’, ‘PR and corporate governance’ and ‘people management'.

The CIPR has launched its annual State of the Profession survey to investigate the issues, trends and challenges facing public relations.

Now in its ninth year, State of the Profession gathers industry-leading data on issues including salaries, skills, recruitment trends and diversity.

This year’s survey features an increased focus on mental health, after last year’s data revealed a 10% annual rise in the number of PR professionals living with a mental health condition.

Whether you're on your mobile, tablet or desktop, the survey will take between 10 and 15 minutes to complete.

Respondents can enter a prize draw to win a £100 Amazon gift card upon completion. The CIPR will also pledge 50p for every completed survey to the charity iprovision (to a maximum of £250).

The study - delivered in partnership with Chalkstream - reports that 84% of in-house teams and 96% of consultancies are either growing or stable in size. Despite robust growth, the report uncovers evidence of a skills gap at the industry's senior level.

Almost two-thirds of recruiters (65%) said they looked for evidence of resource and people management in senior hires, but only a quarter (25%) of senior practitioners ranked those abilities amongst their strongest skills. Similarly, 66% of recruiters reported looking for senior professionals with business acumen, but only a third (33%) of those respondents ranked the skill amongst their strongest competencies.

Other key findings include:

• Tactical dominance - Copywriting/editing (73%), PR programmes/campaigns (68%) and media relations (65%) comprise the top three most commonly undertaken activities, suggesting PR professionals spend the majority of their time on tactical delivery
• Gender inequality
  • The true gender pay gap - which strips out factors that influence salaries such as part-time work - rose from £5,784 to £6,725
  • ONS data indicates women now comprise 56% of the industry - a proportion which has declined year-on-year since 2013 when women made up 63% of the industry
• Diversity gap - More PR professionals than ever (65%) believe PR campaigns are more effective when practised by ethnically diverse teams but ONS data indicates the industry has remained more than 91% white since 2013
• Mental health - Around one in six PR professionals (16%) report living with a mental health condition - an increase of 10% from last year's research.

• Watch a video summary of the research
• Download the 2018 CIPR State of the Profession report (PDF)

• Tightening budgets and reduced fees - Almost a third (32%) of in-house professionals report budget cuts and double the number of agencies and consultancies (15%) cut fees, compared with last year.
   
• Brace for Brexit - Fewer than 1 in 10 believe Brexit would have a positive impact on their organisation and just over half (51%) have implemented post-Brexit strategies or plan to do so soon.
   
• Mixed outlook on pay - Average salaries rose to just over £50,000, but PR’s gender pay gap persists, with post-regression analyses revealing a pay inequality gap of £5,784 - a modest reduction of £220 on last year's figure.
   
• Evolving attitudes to diversity - A significant spike in the number of practitioners believing in the business benefits of diversity, but ethnic diversity across the workforce remains extremely limited.

• Read 5 Actions from #StateofPR by CIPR President Jason MacKenzie Found.Chart.PR, FCIPR
• Download State of the Profession 2017 (opens as PDF)