Editing YouGov (section)

==History==

=== 2000–2010 ===
[[Stephan Shakespeare]] and [[Nadhim Zahawi]] formed YouGov in the United Kingdom in May 2000. In 2001, they engaged BBC political analyst [[Peter Kellner]], who became chairman and then, from 2007 to 2016, President.<ref name=whoswho>{{Who's Who |title=Kellner, Peter Jon |id=U119785 |edition=2014 online |access-date=26 May 2014}}</ref><ref name=kellnerstanddown>{{cite news|url=https://www.mrweb.com/drno/news22219.htm|title=YouGov President Peter Kellner to Step Down|publisher=MR Web|date=2016-02-15|access-date=2016-04-05|archive-date=2016-03-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327160641/https://www.mrweb.com/drno/news22219.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In its initial years, YouGov hired a number a notable commentators to write columns on its website, including future UK [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|prime minister]] [[Boris Johnson]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Inglefield |first=Mark |date=2000-07-12 |title=Heave-ho for 'slow' Boris - Diary |work=[[The Times]]}}</ref> and presenter [[John Humphrys]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2006-08-22 |title=pounds 1m for you, gov |work=The Guardian}}</ref> In April 2005, YouGov became a public company listed on the [[Alternative Investment Market]] of the [[London Stock Exchange]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/prices-and-markets/stocks/summary/company-summary/GB00B1VQ6H25GBGBXASQ1.html|title=London Stock Exchange – YouGov|publisher=London Stock Exchange|access-date=2015-05-31|archive-date=2017-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011182014/https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/prices-and-markets/stocks/summary/company-summary/GB00B1VQ6H25GBGBXASQ1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In the same year, the company launched BrandIndex which tracks public opinion on consumer brands using daily polls.

In 2006, YouGov began expanding outside the UK through acquisitions and acquired [[Dubai]]-based research firm Siraj for $1.2 million plus an eventual [[Earnout|earn out]] of $600,000. In 2007, the [[Palo Alto, California]]-based US research polling firm Polimetrix, headed by [[Stanford University]] professor [[Douglas Rivers|Doug Rivers]],<ref name="kellnerstanddown" />
was acquired by the company for approximately $17 million .<ref>{{Cite web|title=Daily Research News Online no. 6227 - Polimetrix Adds to YouGov Cauldron|url=https://www.mrweb.com/drno/news6227.htm|access-date=2022-01-25|website=www.mrweb.com|archive-date=2022-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125022104/https://www.mrweb.com/drno/news6227.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Also in 2007, the company 
acquired [[Scandinavia]]n firm Zapera for $8 million and [[Germany|German]] firm [[Psychonomics]] for $20 million. In 2009 and 2010, YouGov expanded its US operations with two acquisitions; first buying [[Princeton, New Jersey]], research firm Clear Horizons for $600,000 plus an earn out of $2.7 million, then [[Connecticut]]-based research firm Harrison Group for $6 million with a $7 million earnout.

In 2010, YouGov bought a 20% stake of sports media data company SMG Insight. In 2018, the company acquired the remaining 80% of SMG Insight's stock.<ref name="smg">{{cite web | url=https://www.research-live.com/article/news/yougov-fully-acquires-smg-insight/id/5038882 | title=YouGov fully acquires SMG Insight | author=Katie McQuater | website=Research Live | date=25 May 2018 | access-date=26 February 2019 | archive-date=3 March 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303225504/https://www.research-live.com/article/news/yougov-fully-acquires-smg-insight/id/5038882 | url-status=live }}</ref> The new business was rebranded YouGov Sport.<ref>{{cite web | title=About |website=  YouGov Sport | date=20 January 2022 | url=https://sport.yougov.com/about/ | access-date=7 September 2022}}</ref>
Ahead of the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 UK General Election]], YouGov entered an exclusive contract to provide political polls to ''[[The Times]]''.<ref name=Wired>{{Cite magazine |last=Stokel-Walker |first=Chris |date=2019-11-28 |title=How YouGov became the UK's best but most controversial pollster |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/yougov-general-election-poll-mrp |access-date=2023-12-04}}</ref> The business also launched TellYouGov, which combined analysis drawing from social media data and polling results.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bradshaw |first=Tim |date=2010-03-24 |title=YouGov embraces social websites|work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/2292a700-3777-11df-88c6-00144feabdc0|access-date=2023-12-04}}</ref> The business continues to analyse social media, now primarily via YouGov Signal.

=== 2011–2020 ===
In 2011, YouGov acquired [[Portland, Oregon]]-based firm Definitive Insights for $1 million with a potential $2 million earn out and also made its first organic expansion by opening an office in [[Paris]]. In January 2014, YouGov entered the [[Asia-Pacific|Asia Pacific region]] with the acquisition of Decision Fuel for an estimated consideration of approximately £5 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.investegate.co.uk/yougov-plc/rns/acquisition-of-decision-fuel/201401090700142369X/|title=Acquisition of Decision Fuel|publisher=Investegate|date=2014-01-09|access-date=2014-01-20|archive-date=2019-01-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117070300/https://www.investegate.co.uk/yougov-plc/rns/acquisition-of-decision-fuel/201401090700142369X/|url-status=live}}</ref> Also in 2014, YouGov launched Profiles, an audience segmentation tool, combining data points from its most active panellists showing how the public engages with traditional and new media channels.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gani |first=Aisha |date=2014-11-18|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/yougov-polling-blog/2014/nov/18/yougov-profiles-the-nations-newspaper-readers|title=Who are you? YouGov profiles the nation's newspaper readers |work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Machell |first=Ben |date=2024-03-04 |title=If you aren't addicted to YouGov Profiles yet, you soon will be |newspaper=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/if-you-arent-addicted-to-yougov-profiles-yet-you-soon-will-be-3knmsdwfph2 |access-date=2024-03-04 |language=en |issn=0140-0460}}</ref>

In 2016, [[Peter Kellner]] stepped down as the company’s Chairman.<ref name="kellnerstanddown" /> In this year, YouGov began to use a methodology known as [[Multilevel regression with poststratification|multi-level regression and post-stratification]] (MRP) in its political polling. Its first public use was during the United Kingdom’s [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|referendum on EU membership]].<ref name="Wired" /> YouGov has used this approach around elections since.

In the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 UK General Election]], YouGov’s projection was an outlier. While most pollsters projected large Conservative majorities, YouGov correctly predicted a hung parliament.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Burn-Murdoch |first=John |date=2017-06-09 |title=Election 2017: how the UK voted in 7 charts|work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/dac3a3b2-4ad7-11e7-919a-1e14ce4af89b|access-date=2023-12-04}}</ref> YouGov modelling rightly projected a number of shock results, including in [[Kensington (UK Parliament constituency)|Kensington]] and [[Canterbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Canterbury]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=Sam |date=2019-11-28 |title=What is MRP and can it predict the result of the UK general election? |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2224783-what-is-mrp-and-can-it-predict-the-result-of-the-uk-general-election/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |work=New Scientist}}</ref> In December 2017, YouGov purchased Galaxy Research to establish a presence in Australia.<ref>{{cite news | title=YouGov acquires Galaxy Research | date=17 December 2017 | publisher=[[Mumbrella]] | url=https://mumbrella.com.au/yougov-acquires-galaxy-research-489774 | access-date=27 November 2018 | language=en | archive-date=10 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510021530/https://mumbrella.com.au/yougov-acquires-galaxy-research-489774 | url-status=live }}</ref> Galaxy Research was an Australian market research company that provided opinion polling for state and federal politics. Its polls were published in [[News Limited]] tabloid newspapers, including the ''[[Herald Sun]]'', ''[[Courier-Mail]]'', and ''[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]]'' (in contrast to [[Newspoll]] data, which is presented in the News Limited broadsheet newspaper ''[[The Australian]]'').<ref>{{cite news| first=Peter| last=Brent| title=Forget the election contest, look at the pollsters| date=10 April 2007| publisher=[[Crikey]]| url=https://www.crikey.com.au/2007/04/10/forget-the-election-contest-look-at-the-pollsters/| access-date=15 June 2017| archive-date=19 March 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319154133/https://www.crikey.com.au/2007/04/10/forget-the-election-contest-look-at-the-pollsters/| url-status=live}}</ref> 
 
In 2020, YouGov launched YouGov Turkey, the result of an acquisition of Istanbul-based online research agency Wizsight.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-11-17 |title=YouGov acquires Turkish research company Wizsight |work=Financial Times |url= https://markets.ft.com/data/announce/detail?dockey=1323-14759234-1J2CNCECN57L4OF1SNCS1MBAHE|access-date=2023-12-12}}</ref> The business also polled extensively around the Coronavirus pandemic, working with Imperial College London to track how populations responded to the virus and associated policies.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Alford |first=Justine |date=2020-04-11 |title=Open data hub launches to track global responses to COVID-19|work=Imperial College London |url=https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/196793/open-data-launches-track-global-responses/|access-date=2023-12-04}}</ref>

=== 2021–present ===
In 2021, the company completed acquisitions of Canada-based Charlton Insights,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-02-05 |title= YouGov acquires Canadian sports research agency Charlton Insights|work=AJBell|url=https://www.ajbell.co.uk/articles/stockmarketwire/219348/yougov-acquires-canadian-sports-research-agency-charlton-insights|access-date=2023-12-12}}</ref> Swiss-based LINK Marketing Services AG,<ref name="CityAM" /> and Australia-headquartered Faster Horses.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-07-13 |title=YouGov acquires data insights consultancy Faster Horses|work=AJBell |url=https://www.ajbell.co.uk/articles/stockmarketwire/229026/yougov-acquires-data-insights-consultancy-faster-horses|access-date=2023-12-12}}</ref> Other acquisitions in 2021 included Lean App which was bought to improve YouGov’s services with financial transaction data,<ref name=CityAM>{{Cite news |last=Clark |first=Jessica |date=2021-04-26 |title=Yougov acquires open banking start-up Lean App|work=City A.M. |url=https://www.cityam.com/yougov-acquires-open-banking-start-up-lean-app/|access-date=2023-12-04}}</ref> and Rezonence which offers users access to premium content in exchange for taking part in a survey.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-10-12 |title=YouGov posts strong full-year profits growth, buys tech business Rezonence|work=Proactive Investors |url=https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/962903/yougov-posts-strong-full-year-profits-growth-buys-tech-business-rezonence-962903.html |access-date=2023-12-12}}</ref> The business also launched YouGov Safe, giving insight into consumer online behaviour by encouraging consumers to share their data in a GDPR-friendly manner.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fernie |first=Gabby |date=2021-04-16 |title=YouGov Safe launches, giving consumers control over their data|work=Mobile Marketing |url=https://mobilemarketingmagazine.com/yougov-safe-launches-giving-consumers-control-over-their-data-/|access-date=2023-12-04}}</ref>

In July 2023, YouGov agreed to acquire the consumer panel division of German market research company [[GfK]] for €315&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rana |first=Anchal |date=2023-07-06 |title=YouGov acquires GfK's consumer panel business for $342 million |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/yougov-acquires-gfks-consumer-panel-business-342-mln-2023-07-06/ |publisher=Reuters}}</ref> The next month, YouGov chairman Shakespeare said the company was considering either moving its listing in the UK to the US, or establishing a [[cross listing|secondary listing]] in the US. "I think the markets are better at supporting companies like ours there," he said in an interview with the ''[[Financial Times]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Thomas |first=Daniel |date=2023-08-14 |title=YouGov considers US listing as business expands |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/31a4e40d-1153-4573-a9b5-460bc212f47a |access-date=2023-08-14}}</ref> The company later clarified that it was “not being considered in the near term.”<ref>{{Cite news |last=Warrington |first=James |date=2023-08-14 |title=YouGov threatens to quit London for New York as City exodus grows|work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/08/14/yougov-quit-london-new-york-city-exodus/|access-date=2023-12-04}}</ref> In January 2024, YouGov concluded the acquisition of GfK’s consumer panel,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jones |first=Jess |date=2024-01-10 |title= New York listing 'not on the agenda' for YouGov as it strikes biggest deal yet|work=City A.M. |url= https://www.cityam.com/new-york-listing-not-on-the-agenda-for-yougov-as-it-strikes-biggest-deal-yet/|access-date=2024-01-11}}</ref> and also acquired Chicago-based data company KnowledgeHound in a separate deal.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Prescott |first=Katie |date=2024-01-09 |title= American deal bolsters talk of YouGov listing switch to New York|work=[[The Times]] |url= https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/article/american-deal-bolsters-talk-of-yougov-listing-switch-to-new-york-b6pz7fdrw|access-date=2024-01-11}}</ref> In August 2024, YouGov acquired New Zealand-based generative AI company Yabble for £4.5 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Jess |date=2024-08-06 |title=YouGov shares soar as market researcher snaps up Yabble in £4.5m deal and raises guidance |url=https://www.cityam.com/yougov-snaps-up-yabble-in-4-5m-deal-as-market-researcher-raises-guidance-back-up/ |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=CityAM |language=en-GB}}</ref>