The revision to ISO 20252:2019 Market, opinion and social research, including insights and data analytics –vocabulary and service requirements aims to help researchers and research buyers support higher and more consistent quality in services including insights and data analytics.

This standard incorporates and supplants ISO 26362:2009 – Access panels in market, opinion and social research – Vocabulary and service requirements. It also incorporates the requirements of ISO 19731:2017 Digital analytics and web analyses for purposes of market, opinion and social research – Vocabulary and service requirements which will continue to remain available as a separate standard.

It will help to ensure that no matter where research is conducted, it will meet the same risk management standards of quality and constitutes a uniform benchmark for the robustness of processes and procedures when delivering research, insight and data services.

Don Ambrose, chair of the ISO technical committee that updated the standard, said: “ISO 20252 is a must-have for the research sector. Users the world over – companies, governments, research institutes, consumer associations, educational facilities, and marketing, advertising, and insights agencies – will benefit by having global compatibility, traceability and continual improvement. In addition, it will enable clients to obtain globally compatible, comparable and homogeneous feedback and make better-informed choices of service providers.”

Currently, more than 315 research agencies are 3^rd party certified to ISO 20252, and more than 50 research agencies are certified to the companion standard ISO 26362.