Voxpopme and MRII Reveal 2026 State of Insights Findings

PARK CITY, Utah, October 23, 2026 (Newswire Now) — Voxpopme has released its 2026 State of Insights: Insiders Edition, a research report developed in partnership with the Market Research Institute International (MRII). Launched during a live webinar, the report draws on responses from 126 research, analytics and insights professionals, most of whom hold Director-level positions or higher.

The report examines how insights leaders are responding to growing pressure to demonstrate business value, adopt artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly and maintain reliable research data. Its findings suggest that proving the influence of research on business decisions is a higher priority for the coming year than technology adoption alone.

What Does the 2026 State of Insights Report Reveal?

Demonstrating business impact is the leading priority for insights professionals over the next 12 months. Respondents also identified data quality and the changing role of insights teams as important concerns, highlighting the need to connect research findings with measurable organizational outcomes.

The survey identified five major findings:

• Business impact comes first: Proving the value of insights is the leading priority for the next 12 months, ahead of data quality and the evolving role of insights teams.
• AI adoption requires human oversight: Only 1% of respondents said they do not use AI for any of the listed research tasks, while 51% would not trust AI to perform any research task without human review.
• Data quality remains a serious concern: 28% reported discarding or re-fielding a study because of data quality issues during the previous 12 months.
• Actual behaviour can differ from stated intent: 21% had seen findings based on stated intentions contradicted by actual behaviour. A further 33% did not know whether this had occurred, and 16% reported using no formal method to check.
• Research influence is not always measured: More than half of respondents said their work had been cited in leadership decisions during the previous quarter, but only 17% consistently measured research return on investment (ROI).

The findings offer research and insights teams a benchmark for evaluating their priorities, methods, and ability to demonstrate value to senior decision-makers.

Why Is Proving the Business Impact of Research a Priority?

Insights teams need to show how their findings influence decisions, rather than relying solely on stakeholders’ confidence in their work. As budgets tighten and AI becomes more common across research workflows, demonstrating the connection between evidence and business outcomes can help teams communicate their contribution more clearly.

Research may inform product development, customer experience, marketing strategy and wider organizational planning. However, when teams do not track how findings affect these decisions, their influence can be difficult to quantify.

The report highlights a gap between research being used in leadership discussions and organizations consistently measuring its financial or operational value. For insights leaders, improving this measurement could help make the case for continued investment in research capabilities.

Andy Barraclough, Founder and CEO of Voxpopme, said the findings reflect a profession concerned with its standing as well as its technology.

“Influence exists, but the evidence for it is largely not being measured and communicated,” Barraclough said. He added that insights leaders need to protect the professional judgment at the centre of their work while making that judgment visible to decision-makers.

How Are Insights Teams Using AI While Maintaining Research Quality?

The survey indicates that AI is widely used in research, but many professionals still consider human review essential. While only 1% of respondents reported using AI for none of the listed research tasks, 51% said they would not trust AI to conduct any research task without human oversight.

This distinction suggests that adoption does not necessarily mean full automation. Research professionals continue to place importance on reviewing outputs, evaluating evidence and applying contextual judgment.

The report positions human oversight as an important consideration for organizations integrating AI into research processes. Teams must balance the potential efficiency of AI-assisted workflows with the need to assess the reliability and relevance of their findings.

Ed Keller, Executive Director of MRII, emphasized the continuing value of human expertise as technology changes research practices.

“Technology is changing how research gets done, but our ultimate value comes from helping organizations make better decisions,” Keller said. He added that the findings on AI reinforce the importance of keeping a human involved in the process.

Why Is Data Quality a Major Concern for Market Research?

Reliable research depends on the quality of the information collected and the credibility of the people and processes behind it. In the survey, 28% of respondents said they had discarded or re-fielded a study because of data quality issues in the previous 12 months.

Respondents identified fraudulent participants and AI-generated answers as major concerns, together accounting for roughly 60% of their top data-quality concerns, according to the report.

Poor-quality data can weaken confidence in research findings and make it harder for organizations to distinguish meaningful patterns from misleading results. Re-running or replacing a study can also require additional time and resources.

These findings put data validation and quality-control practices alongside AI adoption and business-impact measurement as priorities for research teams.

What Is the Say-Do Gap, and Why Does It Matter?

The say-do gap occurs when what people report intending to do differs from their actual behaviour. The report found that 21% of respondents had encountered a case in which stated-intent findings were contradicted by observed behaviour.

Another 33% did not know whether their research had identified such a contradiction, while 16% said they used no formal method to check for it.

The results highlight a challenge for research professionals who rely on reported preferences, purchase intentions or planned actions to guide business decisions. Without suitable methods for comparing stated intentions with behaviour, teams may struggle to identify where research findings need further validation.

The report’s findings suggest that formal checks and stronger measurement practices can help insights teams better understand the relationship between what participants say and what they do.

Where Can Professionals Access the Full Report?

The full 2026 State of Insights: Insiders Edition report is available alongside an on-demand recording of the launch webinar.

Access the report and webinar: View the report and launch session.

Distribution partners include MRII, the Insights Association and TMRE.

The research is intended to help insights professionals compare their own practices with those of their peers and consider how they can demonstrate the value of research while maintaining data quality and appropriate human oversight of AI.

About Voxpopme

Voxpopme provides customer intelligence services for companies in sectors including consumer packaged goods, technology, consumer electronics, restaurants, and food and beverage. The company helps organizations understand customer perspectives and use research to inform decisions about consumer preferences, product development, and customer programmes.

For more information, visit www.voxpopme.com.

About the Market Research Institute International (MRII)

The Market Research Institute International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to continuing education and professional development for marketing research professionals worldwide. Its resources include expert webinars, industry content, awards programmes and original research.

MRII also offers educational courses in partnership with the University of Georgia. These courses are developed by experienced research and insights practitioners and updated to reflect the needs of the industry.

Learn more at www.mrii.org.

Media Contact

Tom Higgins
Senior Growth Product Marketer
Voxpopme
Phone: +44 7837 456561
Email: [email protected]

Source: Voxpopme