Priya Minhas – Research Hero
Priya Minhas, associate director, Opinium
Priya Minhas is an associate director in Opinium’s political and social team, with 10 years’ experience. She works with universities, charities, and think tanks to shape policy and understand public attitudes. She specialises in underrepresented audiences, co-leads diversity & inclusion, and leads Multicultural Britain research tracking shifts in perceptions of identity, and discrimination rates.
Priya was nominated because she is "one of the most passionate and impactful voices championing diversity, representation and inclusion within the UK research sector today."
1. What is the biggest challenge you have faced during your career?
One of the biggest challenges has been dealing with situations where research is criticised not because of how it was done, but because people don’t like what it shows.
Scrutiny is important, research should always be challenged on methodology, transparency, and how conclusions are reached. But there are times when that criticism becomes a cover for a wider disagreement with the findings.
The focus shifts to picking holes, rather than engaging with what the data is actually saying.
That can be difficult, especially when it becomes ongoing. You end up spending a lot of time defending work that is methodologically sound, rather than having a constructive conversation about the insight.
It requires resilience, but also a level of discipline, being clear and consistent on what the data shows, where the limits are, and staying focused on the evidence even when the reaction to it is driven by something else.
2. What will be the next big trend or development in the research industry, and why?
AI is already reshaping the research industry, and that’s only going to accelerate.
At Opinium, we are harnessing AI in two critical ways: to strengthen data quality and to accelerate the research production process.
On data quality, AI plays an important role in helping us identify poor-quality responses, protect the integrity of our datasets and ultimately increase confidence in the insights we deliver to clients.
On speed, AI enables us to complete many elements of the research process more efficiently. While some of those efficiencies are passed on to clients, the greater benefit is that they create more time for our consultants to focus on the areas where human expertise adds the greatest value.
AI is helping us work faster. Our people are helping us think better. The combination is what delivers better outcomes for our clients.
3. Who inspires you as a researcher?
Honestly, the people I work with at Opinium. I learn a huge amount from colleagues across different teams and disciplines. Having worked in research for over a decade, I particularly value learning from newer members of the team, as they often bring fresh perspectives that challenge how you think about work.
But there is also always more to learn from those with the most experience, and Professor Sir John Curtice has always inspired me in terms of long-standing rigour in political polling.
We hope you enjoyed this article.
Research Live is published by MRS.
The Market Research Society (MRS) exists to promote and protect the research sector, showcasing how research delivers impact for businesses and government.
Members of MRS enjoy many benefits including tailoured policy guidance, discounts on training and conferences, and access to member-only content.
For example, there's an archive of winning case studies from over a decade of MRS Awards.
Find out more about the benefits of joining MRS here.
0 Comments