UK insight industry 'generates £18.74bn in added value'

The research and data insight industry is hailing its contribution to the success of the marketing and advertising sector as well as the wider business community, with a new study revealing the market generates £18.74bn of gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy each year.

The valuation means it is larger than the entire publishing sector and over twice the economic value of the UK’s music industry, according to a new independent sector review by PA Consulting, commissioned by the Market Research Society to mark its 80th anniversary year.

The “Business of Evidence 2026 Report” found that the market now accounts for between 0.7% and 0.8% of UK GVA and employs around 350,000 people on a full-time basis.

The market is also a significant export success story, with almost two-thirds (64%) of UK-based businesses conducting projects for clients in other countries.

This figure has doubled since 2012, with primary export markets including North America and Europe, helping to consolidate the UK’s place as the second-largest supplier of research services globally.

The report also highlights the leading role played by the UK evidence sector in navigating businesses through recent economic, technological and political change.

Four in five (81%) research buyers believe that insights lead to more confident decision-making within their organisations, with nine in ten (87%) agreeing that research findings serve as an important strategic input driving key business and policy decisions.

Meanwhile, traditional research organisations and insights teams within private vertical sector companies, such as retail, media, technology and financial services contribute a combined £15.10bn of the wider £18.74bn GVA to the UK economy, and account for over 280,000 full-time equivalent jobs

Around 70,000 additional research jobs are in other sectors, such as in artificial intelligence (5,590) and data analytics (7,500) companies, or in central government (20,530).

Researchers see the main drivers of the UK’s world-leading position as the UK’s long-running track record in research (60%), its strength of talent (55%), and its ability to deliver strategic insights rather than just standalone data (55%)

Taking into account the indirect impact of market research – the economic activity generated in the supply chain, such as data platforms, survey tech and cloud infrastructure – the sector’s GVA rises to over £24.5bn.

MRS chief executive Jane Frost commented: “This review confirms what we have known for some time – that quality research and insight make a massive contribution to UK PLC. Not only does our sector add nearly £19bn GVA to the UK economy each year, but every day we help organisations of all kinds make better decisions that drive economic growth.

“The incredible progress over the past decade also demonstrates the growing appreciation of the role that research and evidence play in guiding better decision making. We are witnessing a time of huge geopolitical, economic and cultural upheaval, and as a sector our insights will only become more valuable as organisations across the globe seek to understand what is happening and navigate these shifts.”