More work needed to improve data quality, hears podcast

Speaking to host Liam Kay-McClean, deputy editor at Research Live, Andrew Cooper, founder and chief executive at Verve, said that he did not think enough was being done currently to address data quality issues, but said the industry was making good progress.

“I am pleased it is facing into it, which is important, and I am confident it is doing enough to hold back the tide,” Cooper said.

“But the problem isn’t going to get less. AI is going to make it harder to use the techniques that are being used now, so therefore we as an industry are going to need to keep working hard to genuinely solve the problem.

“It is like the climate crisis – we are definitely doing some things that are right, but are we doing enough?”

The podcast is a three-part series examining whether there is a data quality crisis in market research, with the latest episode – the second in the series – focusing on what market research agencies and industry bodies are doing to tackle problems in data quality.

The first episode, released two weeks ago, focused on the causes and potential consequences of issues with data quality in the sector, with an upcoming third episode examining the potential impact of artificial intelligence.

Also speaking in the podcast, Oscar Carlsson, founder at Milo Advisory and former chief innovation officer at Cint, said that there were “simple things” the industry could do to address issues, such as validating that survey respondents and panel members are genuine humans.

“I think it probably has come down to a more acceptable level that is more controllable for a lot of companies. But I would like to see a lot more,” Carlsson said.

“I know a lot of good companies out there are actually making a lot of good decisions, but they need the data back from their customers to make good decisions.”

Both episodes of the Research Live podcast are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and below: