YouGov

YouGov is an international internet-based market research and data analytics firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Founded in May 2000 by Stephan Shakespeare and Nadhim Zahawi, it has been listed on the London Stock Exchange (ticker YOU) since April 2005 and reported revenue of £335.3 million in 2024^[1][2][3].

The company conducts online opinion polling and market research using a global panel of roughly 29 million members as of 2024^[2]. Its data products track consumer brands, public opinion, media consumption, and sports sponsorship, and its political polling — including pioneering use of multi-level regression and post-stratification (MRP) — is widely cited in UK elections^[2].

What It Does

YouGov specializes in online market research and opinion polling. It collects survey responses from invited internet users drawn from its panel and weights responses against demographic targets; samples are demographically representative of the populations being studied^[2].

Beyond polling, YouGov sells brand tracking (BrandIndex), audience segmentation and media profiling tools, sports and sponsorship evaluation, and access to connected consumer data shared voluntarily by panelists^[2].

Data and Methodology

YouGov's methodology relies on opt-in online panels with demographic weighting. In 2016 it began using multi-level regression and post-stratification (MRP) for constituency-level election modeling, first publicly during the UK's EU membership referendum; its MRP model correctly projected a hung parliament in the 2017 UK general election when most pollers expected a large Conservative majority^[2].

Since Peter Kellner's retirement in 2016, methodology has been overseen by chief scientist Doug Rivers, whose Palo Alto firm Polimetrix YouGov acquired in 2007^[2].

Products

Products include YouGov BrandIndex (daily brand perception tracking), YouGov Profiles (audience segmentation combining panel data points), YouGov Signal (social media analysis), YouGov Sport (formerly SMG Insight), and YouGov Safe, launched in 2021 to gather GDPR-compliant permissioned data on consumers' online behavior^[2].

In January 2024 YouGov completed its largest acquisition, buying GfK's consumer panel business for €315 million, and acquired Chicago-based KnowledgeHound; in August 2024 it acquired generative AI analysis company Yabble for £4.5 million^[2].

History

YouGov was formed in the UK in May 2000 by Stephan Shakespeare and Nadhim Zahawi, engaging BBC political analyst Peter Kellner in 2001. It listed on AIM in April 2005 and expanded internationally through acquisitions: Siraj (Dubai, 2006), Polimetrix (US, 2007), Zapera (Scandinavia) and Psychonomics (Germany, 2007), Harrison Group and Clear Horizons (US), Decision Fuel (Asia-Pacific, 2014), Galaxy Research (Australia, 2017), Wizsight (Turkey, 2020), Charlton Insights, LINK Marketing Services, Faster Horses, Lean App, and Rezonence (2021)^[2].

Shakespeare returned as CEO in February 2025 after previously leading the company from 2010 to 2023^[2]. Ahead of the 2010 UK general election, YouGov held an exclusive contract to provide polls to The Times^[2].

Issues and Criticism

YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council^[2]. In 2022 a former employee alleged that a 2017 election poll had been suppressed for political reasons; former president Peter Kellner confirmed small late methodology changes, while the ex-employee subsequently withdrew the allegation and accepted YouGov's explanation that methodology concerns were the cause^[2].

Critics have also questioned the reliability of opt-in online surveys in specific applications, noting that volunteer panels and respondent incentives can skew samples compared with probability-based methods^[2].