Why Most Research Associations Don’t Work for Independents
Most associations were built for organisations. Independents were added later.
Professional research associations play an important role in the industry. They define ethical principles, promote best practices, and represent the profession at an institutional level. For agencies and research organisations, these structures often provide clear value.
For independent researchers, however, the situation is different. While membership is usually open, the frameworks themselves are rarely designed with independent practice in mind. Standards, governance models, and certification paths tend to reflect organisational realities rather than individual responsibility.
As a result, many independents join associations without fully recognising themselves in them.
Most research associations are built around collective entities. Their standards assume internal teams, shared liability, and organisational continuity. These assumptions make sense for agencies, but they do not translate easily to independent practice.
Independent researchers operate without internal hierarchies or delegated responsibility. They are directly accountable for methodology, execution, and interpretation. Yet existing frameworks often fail to reflect this reality, treating independents as peripheral participants rather than central professionals.
This mismatch does not come from exclusion. It comes from design.
Inclusion is not the same as representation.
When independent researchers are asked to fit into frameworks designed for organisations, their specific constraints remain unaddressed. Ethical guidelines may apply, but professional recognition remains indirect. Certification may exist, but it rarely speaks to individual accountability.
Over time, this creates disengagement. Independents participate, but they are not structurally supported. The association exists around them, not for them. This weakens both the association’s relevance and the visibility of independent expertise.
What is missing is not goodwill. It is a framework designed from the ground up for independent work.
Designing standards around independent practice
The Market Research Chartered Association was created to address this structural gap. MRCA does not adapt organisational standards to individual work after the fact. It starts from independent practice as the core reference.
By defining standards that reflect individual responsibility, methodological rigour, and ethical accountability, MRCA provides a framework where independents are not secondary participants, but the primary focus.
Most research associations support the profession broadly. MRCA supports those who practise it independently.
