Why Independent Research Needs Its Own Standard

Independent research has always existed. What has been missing is a structure built for it.

Independent market research did not emerge as an alternative to agencies. It existed long before research became institutionalised. Experienced professionals have always worked independently, designing studies, managing fieldwork, analysing data, and delivering insight with full responsibility.

Over time, however, the industry built its standards around organisations rather than individuals. Processes, certifications, and professional frameworks followed company structures. Independence, while still widespread, was left without a clear reference point.

This has created a gap between expertise and recognition.

In today’s market research environment, trust is not based solely on competence. It is based on signals. Clients look for reassurance through frameworks, shared rules, and professional alignment. Agencies provide these signals naturally through their structure and brand continuity.

Independent researchers, by contrast, are often required to demonstrate credibility repeatedly, even when their experience equals or exceeds that of agency teams. The absence of a recognised standard forces independence to operate case by case, rather than as a clearly defined professional practice.This situation does not protect quality. It fragments it.

Independence has never been the problem. Lack of structure has.

The issue is not whether independent researchers are capable of meeting professional expectations. They already do. The issue is that existing standards were not designed with independent practice in mind.

Most frameworks assume internal hierarchies, shared liability, and organisational continuity. Independent researchers operate differently. They carry direct responsibility for their work, their decisions, and their outcomes. This requires a structure that supports autonomy rather than replaces it.

Without such a structure, independence remains professionally invisible.

A Standard Designed for Independent Practice

The Market Research Chartered Association was created to respond to this structural imbalance. MRCA does not aim to turn independent researchers into agencies, nor to impose uniform methods on diverse practices.

Its role is to define a shared professional standard specifically for independent market research. A framework based on methodology, ethics, and accountability, while preserving autonomy and individual responsibility.

By providing a clear reference point for independent practice, MRCA allows trust to be collective rather than assumed, and recognition to be structural rather than incidental.

Independent research does not need to change what it is. It needs a standard that finally reflects how it works.