What IFF Research does

IFF Research is an independent UK social and market research agency founded in 1965 and headquartered in London (5th Floor, The Harlequin Building, 65 Southwark Street, SE1 0HR), employing between 101 and 250 staff. The company designs and delivers mixed-methods research combining quantitative techniques (large-scale CATI telephone surveys, complex sampling, weighting, and statistical analysis using SPSS/R) with qualitative methods (in-depth interviews, focus groups and co-design). AI tools — including large language models and machine learning — are deployed for survey data analysis, transcription automation, and qualitative insight extraction, governed by a formal AI Governance Model with security testing requirements.

IFF serves ten specialist sectors: Business & Enterprise, Crime & Justice, Education Learning & Skills, Energy & Environment, Financial Services, Health & Wellbeing, Higher Education, Housing, Regulation, and Work & Welfare. Its client base is dominated by UK central government departments (DfE, DWP, DHSC, DLUHC, MoJ, DESNZ, Home Office) and public bodies (ONS, Ofsted, ACAS, GMC), alongside the Welsh and Scottish Governments, charities (GambleAware, Co-op Foundation), major housing providers (Peabody), and universities. The Employer Skills Survey (~73,000 employer interviews), Business Spotlight business omnibus (500 UK businesses monthly), and Graduate Index are proprietary programmes with national policy weight; the Graduate Outcomes dataset carries the Office for Statistics Regulation "Accredited Official Statistics" kitemark.

IFF generates revenue on a professional-services model through commissioned research contracts awarded via direct enterprise sales, business development, and competitive pitches against other UK research agencies. Project fees are negotiated per engagement based on scope, methodology, sample size and client type; no subscription, self-serve or productised revenue is described. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held, certified to ISO/IEC 27001:2013 and UK Cyber Essentials Plus, GDPR and UK Data Protection Act 2018 compliant, and a company partner of the Market Research Society. Operating geographies are UK-domestic.

Name

IFF Research

Legal name

IFF Research

Website

https://iffresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

IFF Research is an independent UK social and market research agency, founded in 1965, designing and delivering commissioned quantitative and qualitative research for UK government departments, public bodies, charities, housing providers and universities across ten policy sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Technical Assistance, Policy Lending & Capacity Building Programs (BPADACAN)

Keywords

• Social research services
• Market research agency
• Policy evaluation services
• National statistics surveys
• Tenant satisfaction measurement

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Commissioned Research Contracts: IFF Research is commissioned by government departments (DfE, DWP, DHSC, DLUHC, MoJ, DESNZ, Home Office), devolved governments (Welsh Government, Scottish Government), charities (GambleAware, Co-op Foundation), professional bodies (Ofsted, GMC), housing providers, and private sector clients to design and deliver bespoke social research studies. Revenue is project-based, with contracts ranging from evaluation studies to large-scale recurring surveys. No subscription or product revenue is described.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IFF Research is an independent social and market research agency providing tailor-made mixed-methods research solutions for UK government departments, regulators, charities, universities, housing providers, and businesses. It delivers the full project lifecycle — design, fieldwork, analysis, and reporting — across ten specialist sectors, combining quantitative techniques (large-scale CATI surveys such as the Employer Skills Survey of ~73,000 employers) with qualitative methods (interviews, focus groups, co-design) and AI-assisted analysis.

Product overview

IFF Research is an award-winning social and market research agency offering a full suite of research and evaluation services as a single integrated platform. The company provides both quantitative and qualitative methodologies across ten specialist sectors, with solutions including Business Spotlight (monthly business omnibus), Customer Satisfaction Measurement, Evaluation services, National Statistics and Complex Surveys, and Tenant Satisfaction Measures. The core offering centers on tailor-made research solutions adapted to client needs, with sector specialisms in Education, Health & Wellbeing, Housing, Work & Welfare, Crime & Justice, Higher Education, Business & Enterprise, Energy & Environment, Financial Services, and Regulation. Research services span the full project lifecycle from design through to delivery and reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Behavioural Insights Research solution applying behavioural economics principles to understand and predict decision-making patterns of individuals and organisations, for public and private sector clients.
• Business Spotlight – IFF's Business Omnibus A monthly telephone survey of 500 UK business owners allowing clients to add custom questions to a cost-effective shared survey instrument for market and business insight.
• Customer Experience Research Mixed-methods research solution helping organisations understand and improve customer experiences across various touchpoints.
• Customer Satisfaction Measurement (Social Housing) Specialised satisfaction measurement solutions for social housing providers, supporting customer experience and engagement programmes including regulatory tenant satisfaction requirements.
• Evaluation Policy and programme evaluation services using impact analysis, econometric modelling, and theory-based approaches, primarily for public sector clients.
• National Statistics and Complex Surveys Large-scale survey delivery (including the Employer Skills Survey of ~73,000 UK employers) producing Accredited Official Statistics that inform GDP calculations and national policy.
• Stakeholder Research Research services engaging employees, members, and professional bodies to gather insight on organisational issues for public and private sector clients.
• Tenant Satisfaction Measures Comprehensive Tenant Satisfaction Measures solutions for social housing providers including perception surveys, data collection methodology, and regulatory reporting to the Regulator of Social Housing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65% of Respite Room service users moved to safe or secure accommodation after leaving a Respite Room, compared to 48% of the comparison group after three months (statistically significant positive impact).
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bryson Purdon Social Research (BPSR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021IFF Research partnered with Bryson Purdon Social Research (BPSR) to conduct the feasibility study and evaluation of the Respite Rooms pilot programme on behalf of DLUHC. BPSR contributed expertise in the social research aspects of the evaluation, including identifying programme challenges and developing the evaluation design.
• University of BristolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA consortium partnership with the University of Bristol (led by Professor Maria Fannin) and GamCare's Women's Programme to conduct a three-phase research study on women's lived experience of gambling and gambling harms across Great Britain, commissioned by GambleAware.
• GamCare Women's ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the consortium with University of Bristol and IFF Research for GambleAware-commissioned research on women's gambling harms, bringing specialist expertise in support and treatment services for women affected by gambling.
• University of KentminorOthersIFF Research partners with the University of Kent for its degree-level Social Research Apprenticeship programme. Apprentices spend four years working at IFF while studying for a BSc in applied Social Research at the University of Kent, attending week-long residential sessions and quarterly face-to-face sessions.
• Market Research Society (MRS)coreOthersIFF is a company partner and MRS-accredited trainer. The MRS Code of Conduct governs IFF's research practices. IFF's Trainee Research Programme is accredited by MRS, and IFF staff are encouraged to obtain MRS membership as part of professional development.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NatCen Social Research: The UK's largest independent social research organisation, conducting survey-based research and policy evaluation for government and the third sector. Highly comparable to IFF in customer base, methodology (mixed methods, large-scale surveys), and accreditation status.
• Verian (formerly Kantar Public): International social research and evaluation consultancy serving government clients across the UK, Europe, and beyond. Closely comparable to IFF in offering large-scale public-policy research, evaluation, and behavioural insights to government departments.
• Savanta: UK-based full-service market research agency offering quantitative and qualitative research to government and private-sector clients. Comparable to IFF in service portfolio (surveys, evaluation, customer experience research) and mid-market positioning.
• Bryson Purdon Social Research: UK social research consultancy specialising in qualitative and mixed-methods work for government and the third sector. Already a partner to IFF on the Respite Rooms evaluation, indicating directly comparable methodology and client base.
• Ipsos MORI (legacy public sector unit): The UK public-sector research arm of Ipsos, historically the benchmark for large-scale government social research including workforce and population surveys. Closely comparable to IFF on methodology, scale of fieldwork, and government client portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos UK: Global market and social research firm with a significant UK public-sector practice, including the well-known Ipsos MORI brand. Competes directly with IFF on government policy research and large-scale social surveys but operates as part of a much larger global group.
• YouGov: Global online market research and data analytics company with a strong UK presence. Competes with IFF on public opinion and policy research for government and commercial clients but differentiates via proprietary panel and online methodology rather than bespoke CATI fieldwork.
• Kantar UK: Major global research and insights group with a UK division serving both commercial and public-sector clients. Competes with IFF on social research and policy evaluation as part of a broader analytics portfolio, but with significantly greater scale and international reach.

Emerging players

• The Behavioural Insights Team: Social purpose company applying behavioural science to public policy, owned partly by the UK government. Overlaps with IFF on policy evaluation and behavioural insights work for UK departments, though it is more narrowly focused on nudge/intervention design.
• Deltapoll: UK-based polling and research firm serving media, political, and commercial clients. Smaller and more polling-focused than IFF, but competes for similar public-affairs and policy-oriented research commissions in the UK market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@IFFResearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iff-research
• Xx.com/iffresearch

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IFF Research