{"id":81983,"date":"2026-02-11T14:16:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T14:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newonclusivstg.wpengine.com\/?p=81983"},"modified":"2026-02-11T14:16:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T14:16:20","slug":"public-relations-statistics-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/resources\/blog\/public-relations-statistics-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Relations Statistics 2026: 23 Critical Facts You Can&#8217;t Ignore"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section\n    class=\"block-pcon\">\n\n      \n\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy-inner-wrapper\">\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content-copy-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t<p data-start=\"407\" data-end=\"738\">Our public relations statistics 2026 reveal how PR professionals are responding to growing pressure to prove value, manage risk, and adapt to rapid changes in media, technology, and audience behavior. These 2026 PR stats are based on a global survey of 300 PR, communications, and marketing professionals, providing essential PR industry stats that benchmark performance and priorities across agency and in-house roles worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>Access the full report for the complete picture surrounding our public relations statistics 2026. <a class=\"underline underline underline-offset-2 decoration-1 decoration-current\/40 hover:decoration-current focus:decoration-current\" href=\"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/resources\/whitepaper\/2026-communications-marketing-outlook-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Download now<\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"848\" data-end=\"1128\"><a href=\"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/resources\/whitepaper\/2026-communications-marketing-outlook-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"wp-image-80282 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Email-1.svg\" alt=\"Access the full report for the complete picture surrounding our public relations statistics 2026. Download now.\" width=\"1042\" height=\"347\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1777\" data-end=\"1834\">\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<\/section> \n\n\n\n\n\n<section\n    class=\"block-pcon\">\n\n      \n\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy-inner-wrapper\">\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content-copy-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t<h2 data-start=\"848\" data-end=\"1128\">\n<strong>Contents<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"1777\" data-end=\"1834\"><a href=\"#2\">PR measurement and ROI: Key 2026 PR statistics<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#3\">Media relations challenges: 2026 PR stats and trends<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#4\">Brand building and reputation management statistics<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#5\">PR crisis and reputation risk statistics<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#6\">AI in Public Relations statistics for 2026<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#7\">PR budget and investment statistics for 2026<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#8\">Differences between in-house and agency PR professionals<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#10\">Public Relations Statistics 2026: What the Data Tells Us<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"#9\">FAQs about Public Relations statistics 2026\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1777\" data-end=\"1834\">This article brings together the most important public relations statistics 2026, drawing on original global research to benchmark how the PR industry is evolving.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<\/section> \n\n\n\n\n\n<section\n  id=\"1\"  class=\"block-pcon\">\n\n      \n<\/section> \n\n\n\n\n\n<section\n    class=\"block-pcon\">\n\n      \n\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy-inner-wrapper\">\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content-copy-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t<h2><strong>Public Relations statistics 2026: Key data at a glance<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Five critical findings define the 2026 PR landscape:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Measurement remains the dominant challenge:<\/strong> More than half of all respondents struggle to connect PR to revenue and growth, while 44-52% cannot prove ROI beyond vanity metrics.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Media access is declining sharply:<\/strong> Up to 52% of agency respondents report fewer journalists covering industry news, fundamentally changing media relations strategy requirements.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Brand building leads priorities:<\/strong> Between 50-58% of all respondents prioritize brand building and awareness, making it the clear top objective for 2026.<\/li>\n<li><strong>AI adoption is pragmatic, not transformational:<\/strong> Most practitioners (40-42%) expect AI to complement their work rather than replace it, focusing on efficiency over wholesale change.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Budget pressure intensifies:<\/strong> Roughly one-third struggle to justify investment during economic uncertainty, with measurement gaps undermining their business case.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The following sections break down these 2026 PR stats in detail, providing the complete data and context behind each trend shaping the PR profession this year.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<\/section> \n\n\n\n\n\n<section\n  id=\"2\"  class=\"block-pcon\">\n\n      \n\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy-inner-wrapper\">\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content-copy-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t<h2><strong>PR measurement and ROI: Key 2026 PR statistics<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"3044\" data-end=\"3126\">Measurement remains the most persistent challenge for individual PR professionals. According to our research:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"3128\" data-end=\"3672\">\n<li data-start=\"3128\" data-end=\"3284\">\n<p data-start=\"3130\" data-end=\"3284\"><strong data-start=\"3130\" data-end=\"3191\">51% of in-house respondents and 53% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected connecting PR and communications efforts to revenue and growth as a top challenge<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"3285\" data-end=\"3393\">\n<p data-start=\"3287\" data-end=\"3393\"><strong data-start=\"3287\" data-end=\"3348\">52% of in-house respondents and 44% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected proving ROI beyond vanity metrics<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"3394\" data-end=\"3538\">\n<p data-start=\"3396\" data-end=\"3538\"><strong data-start=\"3396\" data-end=\"3457\">35% of in-house respondents and 26% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected that they still cannot reliably measure true PR or communications ROI<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"3539\" data-end=\"3672\">\n<p data-start=\"3541\" data-end=\"3672\"><strong data-start=\"3541\" data-end=\"3602\">12% of in-house respondents and 15% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected lack of standardized measurement frameworks as a challenge<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"3674\" data-end=\"3862\">This data shows that value demonstration remains difficult at the individual practitioner level, especially as scrutiny from senior leadership and clients increases.<\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6e6e;\"><br \/>\nKey takeaway:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">More than half of all PR professionals struggle to connect their work to revenue, while over a third still cannot reliably measure true ROI, making measurement infrastructure investment critical in 2026.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<\/section> \n\n\n\n\n\n<section\n  id=\"3\"  class=\"block-pcon\">\n\n      \n\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy-inner-wrapper\">\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content-copy-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t<h2 data-start=\"3869\" data-end=\"3922\"><strong><br \/>\nMedia relations challenges: 2026 PR stats and trends<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"3924\" data-end=\"4043\">Media relations continues to grow more complex as newsroom capacity declines and competition for attention intensifies. According to our research:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"4045\" data-end=\"4593\">\n<li data-start=\"4045\" data-end=\"4181\">\n<p data-start=\"4047\" data-end=\"4181\"><strong data-start=\"4047\" data-end=\"4108\">42% of in-house respondents and 52% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected fewer journalists covering industry news as a major challenge<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4182\" data-end=\"4331\">\n<p data-start=\"4184\" data-end=\"4331\"><strong data-start=\"4184\" data-end=\"4245\">30% of in-house respondents and 44% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected a <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/resources\/blog\/how-to-pitch-journalists\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shrinking pool of journalists<\/a><\/span> willing to build relationships with brands<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4332\" data-end=\"4467\">\n<p data-start=\"4334\" data-end=\"4467\"><strong data-start=\"4334\" data-end=\"4395\">24% of in-house respondents and 21% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected that journalists are receiving too many AI-generated pitches<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4468\" data-end=\"4593\">\n<p data-start=\"4470\" data-end=\"4593\"><strong data-start=\"4470\" data-end=\"4531\">23% of in-house respondents and 22% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected the need for more exclusive or data-driven stories<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"4595\" data-end=\"4746\">These PR industry stats highlight a deteriorating signal-to-noise ratio, where relevance, credibility, and insight increasingly determine success.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff6e6e;\"><strong><br \/>\nKey takeaway:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">With 42-52% reporting fewer journalists and 30-44% citing relationship challenges, quality and relevance have become more important than volume in media outreach strategies.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<\/section> \n\n\n\n\n\n<section\n  id=\"4\"  class=\"block-pcon\">\n\n      \n\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy-inner-wrapper\">\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content-copy-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t<h2 data-start=\"4753\" data-end=\"4807\"><strong><br \/>\nBrand building and reputation management statistics<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"4809\" data-end=\"4882\">Brand and reputation remain core priorities for PR professionals in 2026. According to our research:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"4884\" data-end=\"5321\">\n<li data-start=\"4884\" data-end=\"5005\">\n<p data-start=\"4886\" data-end=\"5005\"><strong data-start=\"4886\" data-end=\"4947\">50% of in-house respondents and 58% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected brand building and awareness as a top priority<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5006\" data-end=\"5102\">\n<p data-start=\"5008\" data-end=\"5102\"><strong data-start=\"5008\" data-end=\"5069\">47% of in-house respondents and 35% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected reputation management<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5103\" data-end=\"5215\">\n<p data-start=\"5105\" data-end=\"5215\"><strong data-start=\"5105\" data-end=\"5166\">35% of in-house respondents and 18% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected improving data-driven decision-making<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5216\" data-end=\"5321\">\n<p data-start=\"5218\" data-end=\"5321\"><strong data-start=\"5218\" data-end=\"5279\">35% of in-house respondents and 47% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected securing earned media coverage<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"5323\" data-end=\"5477\">This data shows how role context influences individual priorities, even when practitioners work toward shared organizational goals.<\/p>\n<h3 data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"><\/h3>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6e6e;\"><br \/>\nKey takeaway:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">Brand building leads priorities for both groups (50-58%), but in-house teams prioritize reputation management while agencies focus more on <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/resources\/blog\/earned-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">earned media coverage<\/a><\/span>\u2014reflecting their distinct stakeholder pressures.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<\/section> \n\n\n\n\n\n<section\n  id=\"5\"  class=\"block-pcon\">\n\n      \n\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy-inner-wrapper\">\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content-copy-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t<h2 data-start=\"5484\" data-end=\"5527\"><strong><br \/>\nPR crisis and reputation risk statistics<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"5529\" data-end=\"5609\">Perceived reputation risks vary by role, but external threats dominate concerns. According to our research:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"5611\" data-end=\"6100\">\n<li data-start=\"5611\" data-end=\"5730\">\n<p data-start=\"5613\" data-end=\"5730\"><strong data-start=\"5613\" data-end=\"5674\">34% of in-house respondents and 44% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected misinformation and fake news as a major risk<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5731\" data-end=\"5870\">\n<p data-start=\"5733\" data-end=\"5870\"><strong data-start=\"5733\" data-end=\"5794\">47% of in-house respondents and 26% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected political or government-related actions affecting their industry<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5871\" data-end=\"5986\">\n<p data-start=\"5873\" data-end=\"5986\"><strong data-start=\"5873\" data-end=\"5934\">34% of in-house respondents and 30% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected negative customer experience and reviews<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5987\" data-end=\"6100\">\n<p data-start=\"5989\" data-end=\"6100\"><strong data-start=\"5989\" data-end=\"6050\">16% of in-house respondents and 26% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected cybersecurity or data privacy breaches<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"6102\" data-end=\"6259\">These statistics underline the importance of early risk detection and narrative awareness for individual practitioners responsible for protecting brand reputation.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6102\" data-end=\"6259\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6e6e;\"><br \/>\nKey takeaway:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6102\" data-end=\"6259\">Misinformation (34-44%) and political risks (26-47%) dominate concerns, requiring PR teams to invest in <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/resources\/blog\/how-media-monitoring-works\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">real-time monitoring<\/a><\/span> and rapid response capabilities.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<\/section> \n\n\n\n\n\n<section\n  id=\"6\"  class=\"block-pcon\">\n\n      \n\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy-inner-wrapper\">\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content-copy-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t<h2 data-start=\"6266\" data-end=\"6311\"><strong><br \/>\nAI in Public Relations statistics for 2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"6313\" data-end=\"6407\">AI adoption continues to grow, but expectations remain pragmatic rather than transformational. According to our research:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"6409\" data-end=\"6931\">\n<li data-start=\"6409\" data-end=\"6543\">\n<p data-start=\"6411\" data-end=\"6543\"><strong data-start=\"6411\" data-end=\"6472\">42% of in-house respondents and 40% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected that AI will complement their role rather than transform it<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"6544\" data-end=\"6681\">\n<p data-start=\"6546\" data-end=\"6681\"><strong data-start=\"6546\" data-end=\"6607\">26% of in-house respondents and 41% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected a shift toward strategic advisory work as AI handles execution<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"6682\" data-end=\"6816\">\n<p data-start=\"6684\" data-end=\"6816\"><strong data-start=\"6684\" data-end=\"6745\">20% of in-house respondents and 17% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected becoming hybrid data analyst-storytellers using <a href=\"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/resources\/blog\/ai-media-monitoring\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">AI insights<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"6817\" data-end=\"6931\">\n<p data-start=\"6819\" data-end=\"6931\"><strong data-start=\"6819\" data-end=\"6856\">17% of respondents in both groups<\/strong> selected enhancing measurement systems and proving ROI with AI analytics<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"6933\" data-end=\"7095\">This data suggests that AI is being integrated as a support layer, improving efficiency and insight rather than replacing professional judgment.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1129\" data-end=\"1578\">At the same time, concerns about AI\u2019s role in amplifying misinformation and reputational risk are extending beyond the PR profession itself. In early 2026, the UK government announced plans to work with technology and academic partners to develop systems designed to detect and counter <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/uk\/britain-work-with-microsoft-build-deepfake-detection-system-2026-02-05\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AI-generated deepfakes and misinformation<\/a><\/span>, reflecting growing recognition at a policy level of the trust and credibility challenges posed by synthetic content.<\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6e6e;\"><br \/>\nKey takeaway:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">Most practitioners (40-42%) expect AI to complement rather than replace their roles, suggesting strategic adoption focused on efficiency gains rather than wholesale transformation.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<\/section> \n\n\n\n\n\n<section\n  id=\"7\"  class=\"block-pcon\">\n\n      \n\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy-inner-wrapper\">\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content-copy-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t<h2 data-start=\"7102\" data-end=\"7149\"><strong><br \/>\nPR budget and investment statistics for 2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"7151\" data-end=\"7241\">Budget pressure remains closely linked to measurement confidence and economic uncertainty. According to our research:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"7243\" data-end=\"7679\">\n<li data-start=\"7243\" data-end=\"7393\">\n<p data-start=\"7245\" data-end=\"7393\"><strong data-start=\"7245\" data-end=\"7306\">32% of in-house respondents and 33% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected justifying budget or investment in a period of recession as a top challenge<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"7394\" data-end=\"7550\">\n<p data-start=\"7396\" data-end=\"7550\"><strong data-start=\"7396\" data-end=\"7457\">34% of in-house respondents and 45% of agency respondents<\/strong> agreed that, in an upcoming period of recession, communications investment will be reduced<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"7551\" data-end=\"7679\">\n<p data-start=\"7553\" data-end=\"7679\"><strong data-start=\"7553\" data-end=\"7614\">20% of in-house respondents and 25% of agency respondents<\/strong> selected budget limitations to adopt necessary analytics tools<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"7681\" data-end=\"7823\">These 2026 PR stats show that individual practitioners who struggle to prove value face greater difficulty defending investment.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<\/section> \n\n\n\n\n\n<section\n  id=\"8\"  class=\"block-pcon\">\n\n      \n\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy-inner-wrapper\">\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content-copy-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t<h2 data-start=\"7830\" data-end=\"7889\"><strong><br \/>\nDifferences between in-house and agency PR professionals<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"7891\" data-end=\"7970\">The data reveals consistent contrasts between in-house and agency perspectives. According to our research:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"7972\" data-end=\"8366\">\n<li data-start=\"7972\" data-end=\"8097\">\n<p data-start=\"7974\" data-end=\"8097\">Agency respondents are more likely to select shrinking media capacity and AI-generated pitch saturation as key challenges<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"8098\" data-end=\"8196\">\n<p data-start=\"8100\" data-end=\"8196\">In-house respondents are more likely to select political, regulatory, and organisational risks<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"8197\" data-end=\"8274\">\n<p data-start=\"8199\" data-end=\"8274\">Agency respondents are more likely to anticipate AI-driven role evolution<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"8275\" data-end=\"8366\">\n<p data-start=\"8277\" data-end=\"8366\">In-house respondents report greater pressure to justify investment to senior leadership<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"8368\" data-end=\"8467\">Understanding these differences is essential when interpreting PR benchmarks and planning strategy.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"8368\" data-end=\"8467\">Together, these 2026 PR statistics provide a benchmark view of how PR professionals are approaching performance, risk, and investment decisions in a rapidly evolving communications landscape.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"8368\" data-end=\"8467\">What do these public relations statistics 2026 mean for practitioners?<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<\/section> \n\n\n\n\n\n<section\n  id=\"10\"  class=\"block-pcon\">\n\n      \n\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy-inner-wrapper\">\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content-copy-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t<h2 data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"><strong><br \/>\nPublic Relations Statistics 2026: What the Data Tells Us<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">This data paints a clear picture: PR professionals face mounting pressure to prove value while navigating shrinking media access and rapid technological change. Our 2026 PR stats show that measurement, media relations, and AI adoption are the defining challenges of this year.<\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">For PR teams using these PR industry stats to benchmark performance, the message is clear: invest in measurement infrastructure, build journalist relationships strategically, and embrace AI as a complement rather than a replacement. Access the complete public relations statistics <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/resources\/whitepaper\/2026-communications-marketing-outlook-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2026 report<\/a><\/span> for deeper insights and opinions from industry leaders.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<\/section> \n\n\n\n\n\n<section\n    class=\"block-pcon\">\n\n      \n\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy-inner-wrapper\">\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content-copy-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t<h2 data-start=\"6399\" data-end=\"6424\"><strong><br \/>\nMethodology and Sample<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"6426\" data-end=\"6647\">This research was conducted in June\u2013July 2025 via an online survey of <strong data-start=\"6496\" data-end=\"6551\">300 PR, communications, and marketing professionals<\/strong> working in agency and in-house roles across Europe, the United States, Latin America, and Asia.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6649\" data-end=\"6887\">All questions used multi-select formats. Percentages represent the share of respondents who selected each option, not ranked preferences. Additional qualitative insights were gathered through interviews with more than 50 industry experts. Full survey methodology and additional findings are available in the <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/resources\/whitepaper\/2026-communications-marketing-outlook-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2026 PR, Comms &amp; Marketing Outlook Report.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<\/section> \n\n\n\n\n\n<section\n  id=\"9\"  class=\"block-pcon\">\n\n      \n\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content--copy-inner-wrapper\">\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_content-copy-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \t\t<h2 data-start=\"8981\" data-end=\"9038\"><strong><br \/>\nFAQs about Public Relations statistics 2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"9040\" data-end=\"9104\"><strong><br \/>\nWhat are the biggest challenges in public relations in 2026?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"9105\" data-end=\"9313\">The most frequently selected challenges reflected in the public relations statistics 2026 include connecting PR to revenue and growth, proving ROI beyond vanity metrics, justifying investment in a period of recession, and navigating shrinking media capacity.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"9315\" data-end=\"9367\"><strong><br \/>\nAre PR budgets increasing or decreasing in 2026?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"9368\" data-end=\"9602\">Our 2026 Public Relations statistics show that budget pressure remains significant. 45% of agency respondents agreed that communications investment will be reduced in an upcoming period of recession, while many respondents also selected budget justification as a top challenge.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"9604\" data-end=\"9659\"><strong><br \/>\nHow is AI affecting public relations roles in 2026?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"9660\" data-end=\"9903\">AI is largely seen as a support tool. 42% of in-house respondents and 40% of agency respondents selected that AI will complement their role rather than transform it, with most impact focused on efficiency, analytics, and content execution.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"9905\" data-end=\"9966\"><strong><br \/>\nWhat are the biggest reputation risks for brands in 2026?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"9967\" data-end=\"10142\">Our 2026 Public Relations statistics show that misinformation and fake news, political and regulatory actions, negative customer experience, and data privacy issues were among the most frequently selected reputation risks.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"10144\" data-end=\"10195\"><strong><br \/>\nWhy are PR measurement and ROI still difficult?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"10196\" data-end=\"10378\">Many respondents selected proving ROI beyond vanity metrics and linking PR to revenue as top challenges, highlighting ongoing gaps in measurement frameworks and business integration.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n<\/section> \n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":82116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"audience":[],"topic":[],"region":[],"class_list":["post-81983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/audience?post=81983"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=81983"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onclusive.com\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=81983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}