The Business of Evidence 2026 review, carried out by PA Consulting, found that market research now accounts for between 0.7% and 0.8% of gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy, which is double the size of the music industry and marginally higher than the entire publishing industry.

There are around 350,000 people working across research, insight and analytics on a full-time basis, according to the report, and 64% of UK-based businesses are carrying out projects for clients in other countries, in particular in North America and Europe. The proportion of UK market research businesses working for clients overseas has doubled since 2012.

Once the indirect impact of market research was taken into account, such as the economic activity generated in the supply chain, such as data platforms, survey tech and cloud infrastructure, the sector’s GVA rose to more than £24.5bn, according to the report.  

Four in five ( 81%) research buyers said that they believe that insights lead to more confident decision-making within their organisations, with 87% agreeing that research findings serve as an important strategic input driving key business and policy decisions. 

Other findings from the report include that traditional research organisations and insights teams within private vertical sector companies, such as retail, media, technology and financial services contribute a combined £15.1bn of GVA to the UK economy and more than 280,000 full-time equivalent jobs .

Around 70,000 additional research jobs are in other sectors, such as AI ( 5,590 ) and data analytics ( 7,500 ) companies, or in central government ( 20,530 ).

The report said that researchers see the main reasons for the UK research sector’s success as being the UK’s long-running track record in research ( 60%), its strength of talent ( 55%) and its ability to deliver strategic insights rather than just standalone data ( 55%).

Jane Frost, chief executive at MRS, said: “This review confirms what we have known for some time – that quality research and insight make a massive contribution to UK PLC. 

“Not only does our sector add nearly £19bn GVA to the UK economy each year, but every day we help organisations of all kinds make better decisions that drive economic growth. 

“The incredible progress over the past decade also demonstrates the growing appreciation of the role that research and evidence play in guiding better decision making.  We are witnessing a time of huge geopolitical, economic and cultural upheaval, and as a sector our insights will only become more valuable as organisations across the globe seek to understand what is happening and navigate these shifts.”