The largest ever consumer study of potential DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) penetration in Europe has indicated that 37% of households would be "very interested" in buying digital radios - translating into a market potential of some 33 million families. Respondents are also prepared to pay a price premium for DAB quality and features.

These are some of the findings to come from a survey conducted by RSL/Ipsos, the international research company, which was commissioned by the World DAB forum and part-funded by the European Commission (DGX).

The detailed survey, undertaken across six European countries, was conducted with nearly 5,000 people, in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK (750 adults in each country). Questions focused on actual listening habits and problems, as well as future needs and aspirations of listeners.

The respondents were asked about their level of interest in DAB on the basis of the various features and facilities it can provide:-

More than a third of the sample interviewed who were regular car drivers would be very interested in buying a DAB car radio, with particular enthusiasm for the audio features such as interference-free reception and CD-quality sound. A similar level of interest was indicated for hi-fi sets and portables, and again it was the audio features which provoked the most interest, followed by information services.

PC-linked services - to be received with a DAB receiver plug-in card - were of high appeal to special interest groups such as business people. And the respondents were prepared to pay substantially more for receivers with DAB facilities and features - 30-50% more for car radios and hi-fi's; around twice as much for portables.

The BBC has also carried out its own internal research into the desirability of DAB in a survey of some 5,000 people which has produced similar headline results to the WorldDAB exercise outlined above.