Verian Explained

Verian
Headquarters:	London, UK
Website:	Australia New Zealand Belgium Denmark Finland Germany Lithuania Norway Sweden The Netherlands UK

Verian Group 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]

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]
• : The largest longitudinal study of its kind in the world, covering around 27,000 households in the UK annually. Verian (and its predecessor, Kantar Public) has led delivery of the study since 2012.^{[24] [25]}
• Public voice: A digital random probability panel established in 2019 that is available in UK, Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Slovakia, Czechia and Luxembourg.^[26] This panel was used for opinion polling for the 2024 United Kingdom general election.^[27]
• Crime Survey for England and Wales: Conducted by Verian on behalf of the Office for National Statistics. In 2024/25, around 75,000 households will be invited take part.^[28]
• 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]

Further reading

• Book: Downham, John. BMRB International. BMRB International: The First Sixty Years, 1933–1993. London. 1993.
• 10.2307/2986400. 3. 3. 37–54. Cauter. Tom. Organization of a Statistical Department: Some Details of a Market Research Agency. The Incorporated Statistician. 1952. 10.2307/2986400.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Verian Global Homepage. 26 May 2024.
2. Web site: Office Locations . Verian home page . 27 May 2024.
3. Web site: Evidence for Public Policy . Verian home page . 15 June 2024.
4. Web site: Policy Development and Evaluation . Verian home page . 15 June 2024.
5. Web site: Behavioural and Communications. Verian home page . 15 June 2024.
6. Web site: Political, Opinion and Electoral Advisory . Verian home page . 15 June 2024.
7. News: Leave was always in the lead: why the polls got the referendum result wrong . 15 June 2024 . British Politics and Policy at LSE . 5 July 2016.
8. News: Vincent . Jonathan . Why did the pollsters overestimate Labour’s vote? . 9 July 2024 . Financial Times . 9 July 2024.
9. Book: Schwarzkopf, Stefan. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-960402-9. 29–50. Brückweh, Kerstin . The voice of the citizen consumer: a history of market research, consumer movements, and the political public sphere. A Radical Past? The Politics of Market Research in Britain, 1900-1950. Studies of the German Historical Institute London. 2011.
10. Web site: British Market Research Bureau Limited certificate of incorporation . Companies House . 21 June 2024 . 25 April 1933.
11. News: Warner . Jeremy . JWT agrees cash bid by WPP . 28 May 2024 . The Independent . 27 June 1987.
12. Web site: Proposed sale of 60% of Kantar . WPP . 6 June 2024 . 12 July 2019.
13. Web site: WPP Annual Report & Accounts 2000 .
14. News: Holton . Kate . WPP declares victory in TNS bid battle . 28 May 2024 . Reuters . 8 October 2008.
15. News: Verrinder . James . TNS and Research International merge in Kantar shake up . 26 May 2024 . Research Live . 23 February 2009.
16. News: Kantar unveils government and public sector offer . 26 May 2024 . Research Live . 26 September 2016.
17. News: Kantar Public opens Singapore office . Research Live . 7 February 2017.
18. News: Colmar Brunton NZ Name To Go as Kantar Integrates . MrWeb . 30 June 2021.
19. Web site: Kantar Completes Sale of Kantar Public to Trilantic . MrWeb . 26 May 2024.
20. News: McQuater . Katie . Kantar Public buys Lithuanian policy business . 10 June 2024 . Research Live . 6 July 2023.
21. Web site: Kantar Public rebrands globally to become Verian . Verian Global Homepage . 26 May 2024.
22. News: Kay-McClean . Liam . Kantar Public changes name to Verian . Research Live . 9 November 2023.
23. Web site: Voice of Ukraine . 27 May 2024.
24. Web site: Understanding Society: The UK’s Household Longitudinal Study . Verian home page . 27 May 2024.
25. Web site: The UK Household Longitudinal Study . 27 May 2024.
26. Web site: Data solutions . Verian home page . 27 May 2024.
27. Web site: Labour 18-point lead over Conservatives. Verian home page . 9 June 2024.
28. Web site: Crime Survey for England & Wales . 27 May 2024.
29. Web site: Home Office . Collection: Safer Streets Fund evaluation . 27 May 2024.
30. Web site: Inquiry appoints new partner to investigate impact of the pandemic on children and young people. . UK Covid-19 Inquiry . 27 May 2024.
31. Web site: HMRC . Making Tax Digital: Early impact on VAT below threshold customers . 27 May 2024 . 2024.
32. 10.1111/cea.14326. 53. 8. 866–869. McPhedran. Robert. Cornel. Pieter. Yang. Yuchen. Devarajan. Sanjeev. Toombs. Ben. Mohideen. Anya. Rayner. Alice. Jones. Phil. Gold. Natalie. Does proactively asking about allergens before ordering improve customer outcomes? An in‐business randomised controlled trial. Clinical & Experimental Allergy. 2024-05-27. 2023.
33. Book: Kantar Public . Quantum Technologies: Public Dialogue Report . 2018 .
34. Web site: Quantum conversations – exploring public attitudes to quantum computing . Quantum Computing and Simulation (QCS) Hub . 12 June 2024.