Christopher McLean, Senior Research Executive

After completing a BA (honours) in Journalism, Creative Writing and Politics and an MSc in Investigative Journalism from the University of Strathclyde, I joined Ipsos MORI’s graduate programme where I developed a broad range of skills across quantitative and qualitative methodologies. I am an experienced project manager with a strong track record in delivering high-profile, quick-turnaround projects, such as a survey of 1,000 SMEs in Scotland for the Scottish Government and public opinion polls for the BBC.


My main research interests and expertise lie in:

• Public opinion polling and political research – as project manager of our quarterly Scottish Public Opinion Monitor, I am involved in measuring public and political opinion in Scotland, particularly surrounding the forthcoming independence referendum. I have contributed articles to Total Politics, the Times and Ipsos MORI publications on the key political issues in Scotland.
• Social media research – I have led the development of social media and new digital research methods in Scotland. In particular, our social listening offering provides opportunities to explore online conversations surrounding organisations, brands and issues. I used this technique to analyse social media activity surround the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections.
• Communicating research findings – given my background in journalism and creative writing, I have a strong interest in how we communicate research findings. I look for ways to add insight and context to research findings and am particularly interested in data visualisation. As an example, I recently designed infographics showing the results of our poll on Public Attitudes Towards Scotland’s Constitutional Future and Scottish Public Opinion Monitor polls in October 2012 and February 2013.

Client testimony:

“The project required the supplier to pick up on the context and technical detail of the project specification within short period in order to deliver survey outputs against a challenging deadline. The 'can-do' attitude, followed up with professionalism and clear technical know-how of the requirements at hand, allowed the supplier-client team to mesh quickly to deliver the required outputs.” Public Sector Client