Member Article

YouGov shrugs off a bad year for pollsters as profits jump by a third

Last year proved to be something of a nadir for the dark art of political polling, as poll-defying victories for Brexit here and Donald Trump over the pond served to shake the public’s perception of the industry.

However, market research and polling firm, YouGov, has shrugged off some of last year’s embarrassing upsets and is this morning celebrating some steady growth right across its business in the second half of last year.

According to its interim results, the London-headquartered business saw revenue jump by 24% to £51.4m in the six months to 31 January 2017, driven by continued expansion in its Custom Research division.

Providing clients with sector-specific bespoke research services, the division now accounts for 57% of its total revenue.

Elsewhere, the company’s adjusted operating profit jumped 33% over the period, rising to £5.7m compared to £4.3m in the same period last year.

Following the release of today’s results, Stephan Shakespeare, Chief Executive, YouGov’s Chief Executive, said he was pleased at the firm’s ‘organic’ revenue and profit growth.

He added: “Trading during the second half of our financial year has started positively and is in line with our expectations.

“We have built a strong base and continue to see significant opportunity to further grow revenues from Data Products and Data Services and deliver on our long-term objectives.”

Looking to promote your product/service to SME businesses in your region? Find out how Bdaily can help →