View source for YouGov

{{Short description|Multinational market research company}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox company
| name = YouGov plc
| logo = YouGov-2019.svg
| type = [[Public limited company|Public]]
| traded_as = {{lse|YOU}}
| hq_location = [[London]], United Kingdom
| area_served = Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States
| key_people = {{unbulleted list|class=nowrap|Stephan Shakespeare (CEO)|[[Douglas Rivers]] (chief scientist)}}<ref name="Report" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://today.yougov.com/people/doug |access-date=16 February 2025 |title=Douglas Rivers Chief Scientist |archive-date=16 February 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250216061613/https://today.yougov.com/people/doug |publisher=YouGov}}</ref>
| industry = {{unbulleted list|[[Market research]]|[[Opinion polling]]}}
| products = 
| services = 
| members = {{circa|29 million}}<ref name="Report" />
| members_year = 2024
| revenue = {{increase}} £335.3 million<ref name="Report">{{cite report |url=https://corporate.yougov.com/documents/420/YouGov_Annual_Report_2024.pdf |archive-date=16 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250216054143/https://corporate.yougov.com/documents/420/YouGov_Annual_Report_2024.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=16 February 2025 |title=YouGov Annual Report & Accounts 2024 |date=5 November 2024 |publisher=YouGov [[Public limited company|plc]] |pages=01, 04, 67, 123, 125}}</ref>
| revenue_year = 2024
| operating_income = {{decrease}} £10.9 million<ref name="Report" />
| income_year = 2024
| net_income = {{decrease}} –£2.1 million<ref name="Report" />
| net_income_year = 2024
| assets = {{increase}} £609.7 million<ref name="Report" />
| assets_year = 2024
| equity = {{decrease}} £183.2 million<ref name="Report" />
| equity_year = 2024
| num_employees = {{circa|3,000}}<ref name="Report" />
| num_employees_year = 2024
| parent = 
| subsid = 
| footnotes = 
| homepage = {{URL|https://yougov.co.uk/}}
| foundation = {{start date and age|2000}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://corporate.yougov.com/about/timeline/ |access-date=16 February 2025 |publisher=YouGov |title=Timeline |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250216061003/https://corporate.yougov.com/about/timeline/ |archive-date=16 February 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| founders = {{unbulleted list|[[Stephan Shakespeare]]|[[Nadhim Zahawi]]}}
}}

'''YouGov plc''' is an international Internet-based [[market research]] and [[data analytics]] firm headquartered in the UK with operations in [[Europe]], [[North America]], the [[Middle East]], and [[Asia–Pacific]].

==History==

=== 2000–2010 ===
[[Stephan Shakespeare]] and [[Nadhim Zahawi]] formed YouGov in the United Kingdom in May 2000. In 2001, they engaged BBC political analyst [[Peter Kellner]], who became chairman and then, from 2007 to 2016, President.<ref name=whoswho>{{Who's Who |title=Kellner, Peter Jon |id=U119785 |edition=2014 online |access-date=26 May 2014}}</ref><ref name=kellnerstanddown>{{cite news|url=https://www.mrweb.com/drno/news22219.htm|title=YouGov President Peter Kellner to Step Down|publisher=MR Web|date=2016-02-15|access-date=2016-04-05|archive-date=2016-03-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327160641/https://www.mrweb.com/drno/news22219.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In its initial years, YouGov hired a number a notable commentators to write columns on its website, including future UK [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|prime minister]] [[Boris Johnson]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Inglefield |first=Mark |date=2000-07-12 |title=Heave-ho for 'slow' Boris - Diary |work=[[The Times]]}}</ref> and presenter [[John Humphrys]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2006-08-22 |title=pounds 1m for you, gov |work=The Guardian}}</ref> In April 2005, YouGov became a public company listed on the [[Alternative Investment Market]] of the [[London Stock Exchange]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/prices-and-markets/stocks/summary/company-summary/GB00B1VQ6H25GBGBXASQ1.html|title=London Stock Exchange – YouGov|publisher=London Stock Exchange|access-date=2015-05-31|archive-date=2017-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011182014/https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/prices-and-markets/stocks/summary/company-summary/GB00B1VQ6H25GBGBXASQ1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In the same year, the company launched YouGov BrandIndex, which tracks public opinion on consumer brands using daily polls.

In 2006, YouGov began expanding outside the UK through acquisitions and acquired [[Dubai]]-based research firm Siraj for $1.2 million plus an eventual [[Earnout|earn-out]] of $600,000. In 2007, the [[Palo Alto, California]]-based US research polling firm Polimetrix, headed by [[Stanford University]] professor [[Douglas Rivers|Doug Rivers]],<ref name="kellnerstanddown" />
was acquired by the company for approximately $17 million .<ref>{{Cite web|title=Daily Research News Online no. 6227 - Polimetrix Adds to YouGov Cauldron|url=https://www.mrweb.com/drno/news6227.htm|access-date=2022-01-25|website=www.mrweb.com|archive-date=2022-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125022104/https://www.mrweb.com/drno/news6227.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Also in 2007, the company 
acquired [[Scandinavia]]n firm Zapera for $8 million and [[Germany|German]] firm [[Psychonomics]] for $20 million. In 2009 and 2010, YouGov expanded its US operations with two acquisitions, first buying [[Princeton, New Jersey]], research firm Clear Horizons for $600,000 plus an earn-out of $2.7 million, then [[Connecticut]]-based research firm Harrison Group for $6 million with a $7 million earn-out.

In 2010, YouGov bought a 20% stake of sports media data company SMG Insight. In 2018, the company acquired the remaining 80% of SMG Insight's stock.<ref name="smg">{{cite web | url=https://www.research-live.com/article/news/yougov-fully-acquires-smg-insight/id/5038882 | title=YouGov fully acquires SMG Insight | author=Katie McQuater | website=Research Live | date=25 May 2018 | access-date=26 February 2019 | archive-date=3 March 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303225504/https://www.research-live.com/article/news/yougov-fully-acquires-smg-insight/id/5038882 | url-status=live }}</ref> The new business was rebranded YouGov Sport.<ref>{{cite web | title=About |website=  YouGov Sport | date=20 January 2022 | url=https://sport.yougov.com/about/ | access-date=7 September 2022}}</ref>
Ahead of the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 UK General Election]], YouGov entered an exclusive contract to provide political polls to ''[[The Times]]''.<ref name=Wired>{{Cite magazine |last=Stokel-Walker |first=Chris |date=2019-11-28 |title=How YouGov became the UK's best but most controversial pollster |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/yougov-general-election-poll-mrp |access-date=2023-12-04}}</ref> The business also launched TellYouGov, which combined analysis drawing from social media data and polling results.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bradshaw |first=Tim |date=2010-03-24 |title=YouGov embraces social websites|work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/2292a700-3777-11df-88c6-00144feabdc0|access-date=2023-12-04}}</ref> The business continues to analyse social media, now primarily via YouGov Signal.

=== 2011–2020 ===
In 2011, YouGov acquired [[Portland, Oregon]]-based firm Definitive Insights for $1 million with a potential $2 million earn-out and also made its first organic expansion by opening an office in [[Paris]]. In January 2014, YouGov entered the [[Asia-Pacific|Asia Pacific region]] with the acquisition of Decision Fuel for an estimated consideration of approximately £5 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.investegate.co.uk/yougov-plc/rns/acquisition-of-decision-fuel/201401090700142369X/|title=Acquisition of Decision Fuel|publisher=Investegate|date=2014-01-09|access-date=2014-01-20|archive-date=2019-01-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117070300/https://www.investegate.co.uk/yougov-plc/rns/acquisition-of-decision-fuel/201401090700142369X/|url-status=live}}</ref> Also in 2014, YouGov launched Profiles, an audience segmentation tool, combining data points from its most active panellists showing how the public engages with traditional and new media channels.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gani |first=Aisha |date=2014-11-18|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/yougov-polling-blog/2014/nov/18/yougov-profiles-the-nations-newspaper-readers|title=Who are you? YouGov profiles the nation's newspaper readers |work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Machell |first=Ben |date=2024-03-04 |title=If you aren't addicted to YouGov Profiles yet, you soon will be |newspaper=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/if-you-arent-addicted-to-yougov-profiles-yet-you-soon-will-be-3knmsdwfph2 |access-date=2024-03-04 |language=en |issn=0140-0460}}</ref>

In 2016, [[Peter Kellner]] stepped down as the company’s Chairman.<ref name="kellnerstanddown" /> In this year, YouGov began to use a methodology known as [[Multilevel regression with poststratification|multi-level regression and post-stratification]] (MRP) in its political polling. Its first public use was during the United Kingdom’s [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|referendum on EU membership]].<ref name="Wired" /> YouGov has used this approach around elections since.

In the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 UK General Election]], YouGov’s projection was an outlier. While most pollsters projected large Conservative majorities, YouGov correctly predicted a hung parliament.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Burn-Murdoch |first=John |date=2017-06-09 |title=Election 2017: how the UK voted in 7 charts|work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/dac3a3b2-4ad7-11e7-919a-1e14ce4af89b|access-date=2023-12-04}}</ref> YouGov modelling rightly projected a number of shock results, including in [[Kensington (UK Parliament constituency)|Kensington]] and [[Canterbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Canterbury]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=Sam |date=2019-11-28 |title=What is MRP and can it predict the result of the UK general election? |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2224783-what-is-mrp-and-can-it-predict-the-result-of-the-uk-general-election/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |work=New Scientist}}</ref> 

In December 2017, YouGov purchased Galaxy Research to establish a presence in Australia.<ref>{{cite news | title=YouGov acquires Galaxy Research | date=17 December 2017 | publisher=[[Mumbrella]] | url=https://mumbrella.com.au/yougov-acquires-galaxy-research-489774 | access-date=27 November 2018 | language=en | archive-date=10 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510021530/https://mumbrella.com.au/yougov-acquires-galaxy-research-489774 | url-status=live }}</ref> Galaxy Research was an Australian market research company that provided opinion polling for state and federal politics. Its polls were published in [[News Limited]] tabloid newspapers, including the ''[[Herald Sun]]'', ''[[Courier-Mail]]'', and ''[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]]'' (in contrast to [[Newspoll]] data, which is presented in the News Limited broadsheet newspaper ''[[The Australian]]'').<ref>{{cite news| first=Peter| last=Brent| title=Forget the election contest, look at the pollsters| date=10 April 2007| publisher=[[Crikey]]| url=https://www.crikey.com.au/2007/04/10/forget-the-election-contest-look-at-the-pollsters/| access-date=15 June 2017| archive-date=19 March 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319154133/https://www.crikey.com.au/2007/04/10/forget-the-election-contest-look-at-the-pollsters/| url-status=live}}</ref> 
 
In 2020, YouGov launched YouGov Turkey, the result of an acquisition of Istanbul-based online research agency Wizsight.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-11-17 |title=YouGov acquires Turkish research company Wizsight |work=Financial Times |url= https://markets.ft.com/data/announce/detail?dockey=1323-14759234-1J2CNCECN57L4OF1SNCS1MBAHE|access-date=2023-12-12}}</ref> The business also polled extensively around the coronavirus pandemic, working with Imperial College London to track how populations responded to the virus and associated policies.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Alford |first=Justine |date=2020-04-11 |title=Open data hub launches to track global responses to COVID-19|work=Imperial College London |url=https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/196793/open-data-launches-track-global-responses/|access-date=2023-12-04}}</ref>

=== 2021–present ===
In 2021, the company completed acquisitions of Canada-based Charlton Insights,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-02-05 |title= YouGov acquires Canadian sports research agency Charlton Insights|work=AJBell|url=https://www.ajbell.co.uk/articles/stockmarketwire/219348/yougov-acquires-canadian-sports-research-agency-charlton-insights|access-date=2023-12-12}}</ref> Swiss-based LINK Marketing Services AG,<ref name="CityAM" /> and Australia-headquartered Faster Horses.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-07-13 |title=YouGov acquires data insights consultancy Faster Horses|work=AJBell |url=https://www.ajbell.co.uk/articles/stockmarketwire/229026/yougov-acquires-data-insights-consultancy-faster-horses|access-date=2023-12-12}}</ref> Other acquisitions in 2021 included Lean App which was bought to improve YouGov’s services with financial transaction data,<ref name=CityAM>{{Cite news |last=Clark |first=Jessica |date=2021-04-26 |title=Yougov acquires open banking start-up Lean App|work=City A.M. |url=https://www.cityam.com/yougov-acquires-open-banking-start-up-lean-app/|access-date=2023-12-04}}</ref> and Rezonence which offers users access to premium content in exchange for taking part in a survey.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-10-12 |title=YouGov posts strong full-year profits growth, buys tech business Rezonence|work=Proactive Investors |url=https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/962903/yougov-posts-strong-full-year-profits-growth-buys-tech-business-rezonence-962903.html |access-date=2023-12-12}}</ref> The business also launched YouGov Safe, giving insight into consumer online behaviour by encouraging consumers to share their data in a GDPR-friendly manner.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fernie |first=Gabby |date=2021-04-16 |title=YouGov Safe launches, giving consumers control over their data|work=Mobile Marketing |url=https://mobilemarketingmagazine.com/yougov-safe-launches-giving-consumers-control-over-their-data-/|access-date=2023-12-04}}</ref>

In July 2023, YouGov agreed to acquire the consumer panel division of German market research company [[GfK]] for €315&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rana |first=Anchal |date=2023-07-06 |title=YouGov acquires GfK's consumer panel business for $342 million |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/yougov-acquires-gfks-consumer-panel-business-342-mln-2023-07-06/ |publisher=Reuters}}</ref> The next month, YouGov chairman Shakespeare said the company was considering either moving its listing in the UK to the US, or establishing a [[cross listing|secondary listing]] in the US. "I think the markets are better at supporting companies like ours there," he said in an interview with the ''[[Financial Times]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Thomas |first=Daniel |date=2023-08-14 |title=YouGov considers US listing as business expands |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/31a4e40d-1153-4573-a9b5-460bc212f47a |access-date=2023-08-14}}</ref> The company later clarified that it was “not being considered in the near term.”<ref>{{Cite news |last=Warrington |first=James |date=2023-08-14 |title=YouGov threatens to quit London for New York as City exodus grows|work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/08/14/yougov-quit-london-new-york-city-exodus/|access-date=2023-12-04}}</ref> In January 2024, YouGov concluded the acquisition of GfK’s consumer panel,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jones |first=Jess |date=2024-01-10 |title= New York listing 'not on the agenda' for YouGov as it strikes biggest deal yet|work=City A.M. |url= https://www.cityam.com/new-york-listing-not-on-the-agenda-for-yougov-as-it-strikes-biggest-deal-yet/|access-date=2024-01-11}}</ref> and also acquired Chicago-based data company KnowledgeHound in a separate deal.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Prescott |first=Katie |date=2024-01-09 |title= American deal bolsters talk of YouGov listing switch to New York|work=[[The Times]] |url= https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/article/american-deal-bolsters-talk-of-yougov-listing-switch-to-new-york-b6pz7fdrw|access-date=2024-01-11}}</ref> In August 2024, YouGov acquired New Zealand-based generative AI company Yabble for £4.5 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Jess |date=2024-08-06 |title=YouGov shares soar as market researcher snaps up Yabble in £4.5m deal and raises guidance |url=https://www.cityam.com/yougov-snaps-up-yabble-in-4-5m-deal-as-market-researcher-raises-guidance-back-up/ |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=CityAM |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Description and governance==
Stephan Shakespeare is YouGov’s Chief Executive Officer, replacing Steve Hatch in February 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-04 |title=Appointment of CEO |url=https://corporate.yougov.com/documents/431/Appointment_of_CEO.pdf |website=YouGov}}</ref> Shakespeare had previously been the company’s CEO between 2010 and 2023 before becoming YouGov’s Non-Executive Chair.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kay-McClean|first=Liam|url=https://www.research-live.com/article/news/shakespeare-to-depart-as-yougov-ceo/id/5111202|title=Shakespeare to depart as YouGov CEO|website=Research Live|date=2023-04-17|access-date=2023-09-01|archive-date=2023-04-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417095930/https://www.research-live.com/article/news/shakespeare-to-depart-as-yougov-ceo/id/5111202|url-status=live}}</ref> Since Peter Kellner's retirement from the company in 2016, its methodology has been overseen by YouGov’s chief scientist, Doug Rivers.<ref name="kellnerstanddown" />

YouGov is a member of the [[British Polling Council]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britishpollingcouncil.org/officers-members |title=British Polling Council Officers and Members |website=British Polling Council |access-date=2016-05-24 |archive-date=2021-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115150047/https://www.britishpollingcouncil.org/officers-members/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Methodology==
YouGov specialises in market research and opinion polling through online methods. The company's methodology involves obtaining responses from an invited group of [[Internet user]]s, and then [[Multilevel regression with poststratification|weighting these responses]] in line with [[demographic]] information. It draws these demographically representative samples from a panel of over 24&nbsp;million people worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://research.yougov.co.uk/practices/yougov-panel/|title=YouGov Panel|access-date=2015-05-31|archive-date=2014-11-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101044236/https://research.yougov.co.uk/practices/yougov-panel/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/business/uks-yougov-says-demand-silicon-valley-clients-holding-up-2023-03-21/|title=UK's YouGov says demand from Silicon Valley clients holding up|last=Sandle|first=Paul|date=2023-03-21|access-date=2023-09-01|archive-date=2023-03-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321111712/https://www.reuters.com/business/uks-yougov-says-demand-silicon-valley-clients-holding-up-2023-03-21/|url-status=live}}</ref>

YouGov's polling results have been found to be notably more accurate than those of other online pollsters that rely on [[nonprobability sampling]] instead of [[random sampling]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohn |first=Nate |title=The Problem With a Crowd of New Online Polls |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/27/upshot/online-polls-election.html |date = September 27, 2024 |website=The New York Times |language=en}}</ref>

== Allegation of poll manipulation ==
In June 2022, former employee and then future MP [[Chris Curtis (politician)|Chris Curtis]], who at that time worked for competitor [[Opinium]],<ref name="stone-banned">{{cite web | last=Stone | first=Jon | title=YouGov 'banned' release of 2017 election poll because it was too good for Labour | website=[[The Independent]] | date=8 June 2022 | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/poll-labour-yougov-2017-election-b2096555.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608140608/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/poll-labour-yougov-2017-election-b2096555.html |archive-date=8 June 2022 |access-date=21 July 2022 | url-access=registration}}</ref> said that during the [[2017 United Kingdom general election]], a YouGov poll was suppressed by the company because it was "too positive about [[Labour Party of Great Britain|Labour]]", under pressure from the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] co-founder of YouGov [[Nadhim Zahawi]]. YouGov denied that the poll was spiked for political reasons, instead arguing that the poll was based on a "skewed sample".<ref name="stone-banned" /> Former YouGov president [[Peter Kellner]] confirmed last-minute small methodology changes which transferred 2% from Labour to [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] and increased the predicted Conservative lead from 3% to 7%.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jun/08/polling-firms-yougov-tweak-polls |title=Why do polling firms like YouGov tweak polls? Because they are scared of being wrong |last=Kellner |first=Peter |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=8 June 2022 |access-date=9 June 2022}}</ref>

A day later, Curtis withdrew his allegation, saying that he now accepted "YouGov's position that in fact the results were pulled because of concerns other members of the team had about the methodology",<ref name="stone-banned" /> and that he had not intended to allege that Nadhim Zahawi had had any bearing on the decision, and apologised for any confusion caused by his previous statements.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ex-YouGov worker retracts claim it suppressed pro-Corbyn poll  |website=[[The Guardian]]  |date=11 June 2022  |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/yougov-polling-blog/2022/jun/10/ex-worker-retracts-claim-yougov-suppressed-positive-jeremy-corbyn-poll  |access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Essential Media Communications]]
* [[Newspoll]]
* [[Roy Morgan Research]]

==References==
<references>

</references>

==External links==
<!--Please don't change this to try and give credit to your account. Your IP may be banned without warning and a report will be made to YouGov-->
*{{Official website|https://www.yougov.co.uk}}

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[[Category:Market research companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Online research methods]]
[[Category:Opinion polling in Australia]]
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