1.1 Introduction

Opinion polls are surveys carried out on a human population to determine preferences and trends in public opinion. The results are then used to answer one or more questions based on the study of a sample of this population.the best-known opinion surveys cover a wide range of political and social issues, and are carried out by polling companies. Results may be public or private, depending on the nature of the question and the client.

Published research accounts for only a small proportion of the public opinion research produced by market research institutes. The vast majority are carried out for clients who, like marketing decision-makers, keep the results confidential, as these studies are conducted to serve as a decision-making tool. A wide variety of clients commission opinion research: the press (mainly published surveys), ministries and public institutions, local authorities, political parties and personalities, public and private companies (including communications agencies), associations, trade unions, research centers, etc.

on a global scale, the market is booming, driven by the need for information expressed by more and more individuals and companies. Like many other information-related sectors, the opinion survey market is experiencing a strong wave of digitalization.

Alongside traditional players such as Ipsos, BVA, Ifop and Harris Interractive, a number of new digital natives are jostling to make a name for themselves. Companies such as Happydemics and MadeInVote are carving out an ever-growing share of the market. Happydemics, for example, raised almost €13 million in 2020 [L'UsineDigitale] , and now has almost 1,400 customers in 145 countries

1.2 The global market

The global market for opinion surveys has grown significantly in recent years, driven by a number of factors. Firstly, there is a growing demand for consumer information, from both private individuals and companies. Secondly, the use of these surveys has been systematized as part of various commercial initiatives. Thirdly, the digitalization ...

1.3 A slow-growing French market

The French opinion survey market is a young and growing market. In fact, the explosion in opinion polling in France can be explained by the coincidence of several intertwined trends: the constant demand from central authorities (***); the transformation of studies into marketable products.

As can be seen from the graph below, ...

1.4 The impact of the COVID-19 crisis

The COVID-** crisis had a major impact on the market. Indeed, the main players in this market experienced a net downturn in their business, mainly due to a drop in activity. Demand plummeted as companies shut down their operations, and people were affected by containment measures. As a result, the main ...

2.1 Main customer markets

The demand for opinion polls and surveys comes particularly from companies, which are keen on this kind of product to better understand the expectations of consumers (***): the end consumer is generally the target of the survey, not the institute's client.

Share of sales by customer type France, ****, in Source: ****

In ****, companies ...

2.2 Increasingly in-house research

According to an ESOMAR study published in **** on users and buyers of market research worldwide, around **% of research projects are carried out in-house. However, the results vary enormously depending on the company; some do not carry out any projects in-house, while others conduct all their projects in-house and therefore do not ...

2.3 Demand drivers in the short term

The digitization of industries, which goes hand in hand with the ever-increasing amount of data being used more rapidly , will transform customer needs for years to come. The emphasis on ethics in data collection, for example, will become increasingly important, as will the ability to collect more data more quickly. Paradoxically, ...

3.1 A doubly segmented market

The major players in the market are the survey institutes.In France, there are a number of major international institutes such as Nielsen and Kantar(***). However, the market is dominated by the internationally-renowned French firms Ipsos, BVA and Médiamétrie.

The first observable market structure is a segmentation between the ...

3.2 Concentration and internationalization

The research and survey market is highly concentrated. According to Syntec Conseil, the major institutes (***) accounted for **% of market share by value.

But competition in the market is fierce, with new entrants arriving in step with technological advances. The arrival of the Internet and online surveys has enabled Opinion-Way to make ...

3.3 Impact of new technologies

As seen in the previous sections, the market is tending towards a twofold concentration through external acquisitions: in order to reach critical mass for internationalization, and in order to diversify expertise for generalist firms through the acquisition of specialists. But it's interesting to see new investments appearing for players outside the ...

4.1 Sales driven by marketing and advertising research

Today's generalist market research institutes offer a wide range of services. Opinion poll specialists generate most of their sales from marketing and advertising research (***).

Breakdown of opinion poll sales, by type of research France, ****, in Source: ****

Opinion polls account for only a small share of research firm sales.

Share of political ...

4.2 Offer typology

The range of opinion polls and surveys on offer is extremely rich, and is often tailor-made to meet the specific needs of each client. Nevertheless, it is possible to identify a few broad categories of surveys and opinion polls

4.3 Trends expected from institutes

The ESOMAR study also indicates buyers' perceptions of research and survey institutes.

Sought-after performance of research and polling companies World, ****, in Source: ****

Based on the above responses, institutes appear to deliver quality research work, with **% of respondents having a favorable opinion on this characteristic. When it comes to the speed of ...

4.4 Increasingly connected studies

Studies can be carried out either quantitatively or qualitatively. These two methods complement each other to obtain both representative and detailed responses. [***]

Quantitative data provides the figures that validate the general points of a study by collecting raw, concrete data, mainly in numerical form. Qualitative data, on the other hand, provides ...

5.1 Regulations

Aarticlefrom ENS Lyon looks back at the first law governing polling: the law of July **, ****. Its aim was to regulate the publication of opinion polls by the media, and to set up a polling commission charged with guaranteeing the free determination of the electorate. But this commission has very limited powers. ...