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| ICM Research | |
|---|---|
| Name | ICM Research |
| Type | Market research and polling |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Industry | Market research |
| Services | Opinion polling, market analysis, social research |
ICM Research ICM Research is a British market research and opinion polling firm established in 1989. It is known for conducting public opinion surveys, market research, and political polling across the United Kingdom, with work touching on issues related to the European Union, Brexit, and national elections such as the United Kingdom general election, 2010 and United Kingdom general election, 2015. The firm has been cited alongside other polling organisations like Ipsos MORI, YouGov, Survation, ComRes, and YouGov-Cambridge in media coverage by outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, and The Times.
ICM Research was founded in 1989 during a period of expansion in British market research alongside contemporaries such as Gallup and MORI. Across the 1990s and 2000s it produced surveys on high-profile events including the 1992 United Kingdom general election, the 1997 United Kingdom general election, and referendums like the European Communities membership referendum legacy debates leading to the Brexit referendum. The firm supplied data for political campaigns referenced in analyses by commentators such as Peter Kellner and institutions like the Institute for Public Policy Research and the Resolution Foundation. During the 2010s ICM polled on topics connected to the Scottish independence referendum, 2014, the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016, and subsequent general elections including United Kingdom general election, 2017 and United Kingdom general election, 2019. Its historical output has been analysed alongside trackers from the British Election Study, academic work at University of Oxford and University of Cambridge, and media polling comparisons in outlets like Financial Times and The Independent.
ICM has used a mixture of data-collection methods including telephone interviewing, online panels, and mixed-mode approaches paralleling techniques employed by Ipsos, Kantar, and TNS BMRB. Its methodology development has been discussed in methodological threads with groups such as the Market Research Society and reviewed in academic forums including papers presented at Royal Statistical Society events and seminars at London School of Economics. Sampling strategies reference standard frames like the Electoral Register and probability approaches contrasted with non-probability panels used by companies like YouGov and Panelbase. Weighting procedures draw comparisons with those used by NatCen Social Research and scholarly guidance from researchers at Pew Research Center and Harvard University.
ICM published high-profile polls on the United Kingdom general election, 2010 and the United Kingdom general election, 2015, as well as polling ahead of the Scottish independence referendum, 2014 and the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016. It produced regular trackers referenced in coverage of leaders such as David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn, and Keir Starmer. ICM data has been cited in analyses concerning devolved administrations including the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly, and local elections in boroughs like Tower Hamlets and cities such as Manchester and Birmingham. Polls on public attitudes have intersected with issues involving institutions like the National Health Service and events such as the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, informing commentators at Sky News, Channel 4, and Reuters.
ICM's accuracy record has been discussed in the wake of polling misses by various firms in elections including the United Kingdom general election, 2015 and the United Kingdom general election, 2017. Methodological critiques have compared ICM's approaches with those of YouGov, Survation, and the historical Gallup Poll tradition, while academic critiques have come from researchers at Oxford University and Cambridge University studying polling error and turnout modelling. Media critiques appear alongside defenses in outlets such as The Guardian and The Telegraph, and professional reviews have been aired by the Market Research Society and commentators like John Curtice.
ICM has provided research for clients across media and politics, including broadcasters like the BBC and ITV, newspapers such as The Independent and The Daily Telegraph, trade organisations, and political parties spanning the Conservative Party (UK), Labour Party (UK), and smaller groupings active during campaigns such as Liberal Democrats (UK). Funding for specific projects has come from commercial commissions, media contracts, academic collaborations with institutions such as University College London and think tanks including the Institute for Fiscal Studies and Chatham House.
ICM's leadership has included senior figures drawn from the market research sector, collaborating with professional bodies like the Market Research Society and participating in panels with academics from the University of Manchester and Queen Mary University of London. Organizationally, it operates from offices in London and has partnerships with polling consortiums and international research networks similar to those linking Ipsos and Kantar. The firm engages with data-protection frameworks established by regulators such as the Information Commissioner's Office.
Category:Polling organisations in the United Kingdom