ISO 20252 is the international standard for market, opinion and social research. It establishes terms, definitions and service requirements for service providers conducting these types of research, including insights and data analytics.

The draft of the revised standard is now open for public comment until mid-August 2025.

Updates in the draft revision include integration of AI and automation; strengthened data quality requirements; updated terminology and alignment with other ISO standards, and technical updates to reflect current research practices and best practices.

The ISO Technical Committee (TC225 ), comprised of research practitioners and quality auditors, will review feedback at its next meeting in Prague in September.

To access the draft standard and submit comments, individuals should contact their national standards bodies or affiliated research associations:

•          Australia – ADIA & The Research Society (TRS)
•          Austria – VMO
•          Canada – CRIC
•          China – CMRA
•          EU – Esomar Professional Standards Committee
•          Germany – ADM
•          Italy – Assirm
•          Japan – JMRA
•          The Netherlands – Data & Insights Network
•          Peru – APEIM
•          Spain – I+A
•          Switzerland – VSMS/Swiss Insights
•          The Americas – ARIA
•          UK – MRS
•          USA – Insights Association/CIRQ

The role of the committee is to maintain a single, comprehensive quality standard that guides how research and insights projects are planned, executed and reported, and this revision follows 18 months of work.

A press release from the committee said: "We encourage all research professionals, research service suppliers and brand-side insight teams to review the draft and contribute their perspectives. Your feedback will help shape a standard that supports innovation, trust, and quality across the global research ecosystem."