Accent Research

What Accent Research does

Accent Research is an Australia-based social and political research consultancy that provides survey-based research, data science, and strategic advisory services to political campaigns, not-for-profit organisations, corporate clients, academic institutions, and government agencies. The firm runs online surveys using ISO 20252:2019 certified panels and specialises in Multilevel Regression with Post-stratification (MRP) to deliver small-area estimates at electorate, SA4 region, and postcode granularity, alongside election modeling and campaign messaging testing.

The company's core offerings include federal and state polling services (delivered in partnership with RedBridge Group as official pollsters of the Australian Financial Review), key seat campaign tracking for News Corp Australia, the Australian Cooperative Election Survey (ACES) managed for a consortium of universities, strategic advisory services for political campaigns, and custom survey research for NGOs and corporate clients. Notable outputs include accurate prediction of all 151 seats at the 2022 federal election, Australia's largest poll on climate change attitudes for the Australian Conservation Foundation, and detailed Voice to Parliament analysis for the Uluru Dialogue.

Accent Research operates as a small professional services firm (4-5 named team members including Principal Dr Shaun Ratcliff, Partner Renée Dunstan-Ratcliff, and a small consultant team) generating revenue through project-based consulting engagements and recurring media polling contracts. The firm is privately held with no disclosed external funding, and its competitive positioning rests on academic-quality methodology, the MRP capability, and brand association with major Australian media outlets.

Name

Accent Research

Legal name

Accent Research

Website

https://accent-research.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Accent Research is an Australia-based social and political research consultancy that runs survey-based polling and MRP modeling for political campaigns, media outlets (AFR, News Corp), NGOs, government, and academic institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Consulting Services: Project-based consulting engagements providing survey research, data analysis, and strategic advice to political campaigns, not-for-profit organizations, corporate clients, and academic institutions. Services include polling, MRP modeling, campaign strategy development, and messaging testing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Accent Research is a social and political research firm that conducts accurate surveys using advanced data science methods (including Multilevel Regression with Post-stratification / MRP), turns results into actionable intelligence, and provides strategic advice. They deliver federal and state polling for media clients, electorate-level predictions for campaigns, the Australian Cooperative Election Survey for academic partners, and tailored survey research for not-for-profit, corporate, and government clients.

Product overview

Accent Research is a social and political research firm offering a portfolio of survey-based research services. The core offerings include MRP (Multilevel Regression with Post-stratification) for granular electorate-level predictions, federal and state polling services conducted for major media outlets like the Australian Financial Review, key seat campaign tracking for election campaigns, and the Australian Cooperative Election Survey (ACES) for academic research. These are complemented by strategic advisory and custom survey research services for political, not-for-profit, corporate, and academic clients. The company operates primarily as a research and advisory firm rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MRP (Multilevel Regression with Post-stratification) Modeling A model-based approach for conducting small area estimates in political research, providing electorate-level and postcode-level insights for election campaigns and public policy analysis.
• Federal Polling Services Regular federal polling conducted for the Australian Financial Review in partnership with RedBridge Group, providing vote intention, approval ratings, and electoral predictions for the Australian federal government.
• State Polling Services State-level public opinion surveys for Victoria, Queensland, and other Australian states, providing representative voter research at the state electoral level.
• Key Seat Campaign Track Electoral tracking polls focused on 20 marginal seats during federal election campaigns, commissioned by News Corp Australia, providing real-time voter shift data for specific electoral divisions.
• Australian Cooperative Election Survey (ACES) The largest academic election survey in Australia, managed by Accent Research for fieldwork, providing modular survey data to academic researchers studying Australian politics and society.
• Strategic Advisory Services Strategic consulting services for political campaigns, including election strategy development, resource allocation planning, and campaign messaging testing and optimization.
• Custom Survey Research Tailored survey research for not-for-profit organisations, corporate clients, and public health messaging campaigns, including public opinion polling and attitude measurement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Accurately predicted electorate-level results for all 151 seats at the 2022 Australian federal election
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and academic.

• RedBridge GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccent Research and RedBridge Group are formal partners conducting polling for the Australian Financial Review. Together they are 'the official pollsters of the Australian Financial Review.' The partnership combines Accent's research methodology with RedBridge's strategic consulting capabilities for election modeling and political research in Australia.
• Australian Financial ReviewcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial pollsters of the Australian Financial Review, providing monthly federal and state polling. The AFR publishes their research, providing significant reach and credibility in the Australian media landscape.
• News Corp AustraliakeyGTM or Marketing PartnerConducted commissioned key seat tracking polls during the 2025 federal election. News Corp provided exclusive polling coverage across their mastheads including the Herald Sun and Daily Telegraph.
• Griffith UniversityacademicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Australian Cooperative Election Survey (ACES). Professor Juliet Pietsch from Griffith University serves on the ACES steering committee.
• Macquarie UniversityacademicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Australian Cooperative Election Survey (ACES). Associate Professor Shaun Willson from Macquarie University serves on the ACES steering committee. Luke Ashton is also completing his PhD at Macquarie.
• University of SydneyacademicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Australian Cooperative Election Survey (ACES). Dr Shaun Ratcliff is affiliated with the US Studies Centre at University of Sydney and serves on the ACES steering committee.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Accent_Research
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/accent-research

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Accent Research