Research Methods Centre
This specialist unit provides a hub of expertise in sampling, survey methodology and advanced data analysis for researchers across the company and for clients. The mission of the Research Methods Centre (RMC) is to develop a widely respected cutting-edge methodological unit and to maximise company-wide quantitative methodological knowledge and expertise. The team comprises a core group of five statistical and methodological experts, led by Dr Patten Smith and Dr Andrew Zelin, who have published a number of methodological reports and papers in academic journals.
For recent publications click here 
Methodological development and Feasibility studies
Ipsos MORI is conducting Feasibility studies to explore optimal methodologies for a variety of government surveys. These include most recently our current work for the UK Border Agency to develop the methodology and questionnaire for a national survey of migrants; for the Home Office a survey of business crime; and for Her Majesty's Revenue and Customers (HMRC) a business panel survey. We have also delivered feasibility work for extending the British Crime Survey to include communal establishments and young people and a review of the methodology of the Arrestee Survey.
Complex sampling and weighting
The RMC delivers sampling, weighting and other methodological advice for many surveys requiring complex sample designs, of which perhaps the most notable are the Citizenship survey, new Civil and Social Justice Panel Survey (Legal Services Commission) and the National Adult Learning Survey (Learning and Skills Council). This work is generally led by Patten Smith who has many years' experience of designing complex random probability samples, and is especially known for his work on sampling ethnic minority populations.
A key piece of ongoing work involves enhancing our online panels, by means of a sophisticated structured weighting approach which is based on a large high quality offline database. The first publication from this series of work was awarded the Presidents Award for the paper that aroused the most interest at Worldwide Readership Research Symposia.
Advanced Analytics
Frontiers of Performance 'league tables' - The RMC has provided a significant amount of analysis to look at drivers of satisfaction levels with council-provided services at local level, using a range of regression and multi-level modelling techniques. This enables users to compare observed satisfaction levels with levels that are expected given the level of “challenge” (eg deprivation) for each local area, thereby allowing us to go beyond traditional league tables and to create sets of realistic benchmarks based on local circumstances.
Methodological Papers
The RMC is active in writing papers on aspects of survey methodology some of which appear as Ipsos MORI working papers and others are destined for journal publication and conference presentation.
For recent publications click here