Roy Morgan Research

Roy Morgan Research
Name	Roy Morgan Research
Type	Private
Industry	Market research
Founded	1941
Founder	Roy Morgan
Headquarters	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Key people	William (Bill) Morgan; Michele Levine
Products	Public opinion polling, consumer surveys, market segmentation

Roy Morgan Research is an Australian market research and public opinion polling firm established in the mid-20th century. It conducts cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys on voting intention, consumer behaviour, media audiences, and social attitudes, providing data to corporations, media organisations, and public institutions. The company is known for headline political polling, brand tracking, and bespoke market segmentation studies that influence discourse in Australian media and among policymakers.

History

Founded in 1941 by Roy Morgan, the organisation emerged amid shifts in Australian postwar commerce and media. Early work intersected with advertising agencies such as Ogilvy & Mather and J. Walter Thompson, while later decades brought collaborations with broadcasters including Australian Broadcasting Corporation and commercial networks like Nine Network and Seven Network. In the 1980s and 1990s its polling gained prominence alongside institutions such as Newspoll, ACNielsen, and Ipsos in covering elections involving leaders such as Robert Menzies, Gough Whitlam, Malcolm Fraser, and Paul Keating. During the 21st century the organisation published analyses contemporaneous with campaigns led by John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull, and Scott Morrison.

Methodology

The firm's methodology integrates interview modes and statistical weighting similar to techniques used by Pew Research Center and Gallup. Sampling frames include landline and mobile telephone lists, online panels developed with partners akin to YouGov, and stratified probability and quota sampling approaches used in studies by Ipsos MORI and Kantar Public. Weighting procedures reference demographic benchmarks from agencies like the Australian Bureau of Statistics and incorporate propensity scoring reminiscent of practices at SSRS and NORC at the University of Chicago. For audience measurement the company utilises diary and passive metering techniques related to methods used by GfK and Nielsen Holdings.

Major Surveys and Publications

The organisation issues regular national surveys on federal voting intention, leadership approval, consumer confidence, and market share. Its political polling is often cited alongside results from Newspoll, Essential Research, YouGov Australia, and Ipsos Australia in coverage of federal elections and byelections such as those in Warringah, Braddon, and Wentworth. Sectoral reports include consumer reports comparable to publications by Roy Morgan contemporaries at ACNielsen on retail trends, and brand strength studies similar to rankings by BrandZ. Industry-focused releases examine media consumption patterns in contexts involving Fairfax Media, News Corp Australia, Seven West Media, and platform companies like Google and Meta Platforms, Inc..

Influence and Reception

Media outlets such as The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, Herald Sun, The Age, and ABC News frequently reference its polling in electoral coverage. Political strategists and parties including the Liberal Party of Australia and the Australian Labor Party consult comparative polling from multiple houses like Newspoll and Essential Research when adjusting campaign strategy. Academic researchers from institutions such as the University of Melbourne, Australian National University, Monash University, and Griffith University have used the firm’s datasets in studies on voting behaviour and media effects, in parallel with archival resources like the Australian Election Study.

Controversies and Criticisms

Like other polling organisations, it has faced scrutiny over margins of error and sampling design during volatile elections, with critiques appearing in commentaries by analysts formerly with groups such as ANU Polling and commentaries in outlets like Crikey and The Guardian Australia. Methodological debates often reference comparisons to international polling mishaps examined by FiveThirtyEight and lessons drawn from the 2016 United States presidential election. Skepticism has arisen from political actors including figures from One Nation when results conflict with party narratives, and from media organisations debating best-practice aggregation as practiced by The Poll Bludger and Election Analyst commentators.

Corporate Structure and Leadership

The company operates as a privately held firm headquartered in Melbourne. Leadership across eras has included the founding figure Roy Morgan and later executives such as Bill Morgan and Michele Levine, with governance practices comparable to private market-research firms like Kantar Group and Ipsos S.A.. Commercial clients have included multinational corporations similar to Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Commonwealth Bank, and media conglomerates such as News Corp. The firm engages in partnerships and licensing arrangements common in the sector, akin to collaborations among Nielsen Holdings, GfK, and academic centres at universities like Deakin University for methodological validation.

Category:Market research companies Category:Companies based in Melbourne