Verian is an independent research, evidence, evaluation, and communications agency, headquartered in Millbank, London, UK.[1] It has offices in continental Europe (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands), the Asia–Pacific (Australia, India, New Zealand, Singapore), and US.[2] Verian conducts social research, program evaluation, and media analysis for governments, local communities, interest groups, trade unions, NGOs, and private sector organisations.[3][4][5][6] British Politics and Policy, a blog run by the London School of Economics (LSE), evaluated Verian's (then known as TNS BMRB) polling on the run up to the 2016 UK Brexit referendum; Verian was one of a minority to correctly forecast the result and had the lowest bias.[7] Verian's opinion polling for the 2024 United Kingdom general election also came closest to the final result.[8]

Verian
HeadquartersLondon, UK
Key people
Websitewww.veriangroup.com

Partial timeline

  • 1933: British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) was founded as the market research arm of advertising agency J. Walter Thompson.[9][10]
  • 1987: WPP acquired JWT group, owner of J. Walter Thompson and BMRB.[11]
  • 1992: WPP founded Kantar Group.[12]
  • 2000: Svenska institutet för opinionsundersökningar (Sifo) acquired by Kantar.[13]
  • 2008: Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) acquired by Kantar.[14]
  • 2009: BMRB Social Research and TNS Social Research integrated to become TNS BMRB.[15]
  • 2016: Kantar Public launched, bringing together Kantar's government and public sector teams including TNS BMRB.[16]
  • 2017: Kantar Public opened an office in Singapore.[17]
  • 2021: Colmar Brunton merged with Kantar, with some staff moving to Kantar Public.[18]
  • 2022: Kantar Public sold to private equity firm Trilantic Europe.[19]
  • 2023: PPMI, a European policy research and consultancy company, based in Vilnius, Lithuania, acquired by Kantar Public.[20]
  • 2023: Kantar Public rebranded Verian.[21][22]

Example work

  • Voice of Ukraine: A longitudinal survey of migration paths, needs, and expectations of Ukrainians displaced by war. So far there have been over 6,500 respondents across six waves of research.[23]
  • Evaluation of the Safer Streets Fund: An evaluation of the impact of funding for situational interventions aimed at preventing acquisitive crime, conducted by Verian on behalf of the Home Office.[29]
  • UK COVID-19 Inquiry: Verian was appointed in 2024 to conduct a large-scale qualitative research project to investigate the experiences of children and young people.[30]
  • Making Tax Digital: Early impact on VAT below threshold customers: Research funded by HM Revenue and Customs to understand how businesses below the £85,000 VAT threshold adapted to requirements to keep digital records; use software that works with Making Tax Digital; and submit updates every quarter.[31]
  • Does proactively asking about allergens before ordering improve customer outcomes? (2023): A cluster-randomised trial of the effects of proactively asking customers about food hypersensitivity, including 936 customers at 18 outlets, funded by Food Standards Agency.[32]
  • Quantum Technologies Public Dialogue Report: Funded by EPSRC, this research explored the general public's views and values in relation to quantum technologies.[33] It was announced in May 2024 that Verian will repeat the research, with a survey of around 1,000 participants and workshops with 40.[34]

References