Insights Association Updates, Streamlines ISO Standard

In the US, Insights Association subsidiary CIRQ (the Certification Institute for Research Quality) has updated and streamlined its ISO Standard - ISO 20252:2019 market, opinion and social research, including insights and data analytics. This replaces three older standards, ISO 20252, 26362 and 19731.

Delegates from MR standards organizations from around the world, including representatives from the Insights Association, have worked for more than three years to streamline and update ISO 20252:2012, with revisions and combination with ISO 26362:2009 (access panel standard) and ISO 19731 (digital analytics and web analyses), into this more comprehensive requirements document.

According to the Association, benefits of the new standard include improved relevance to current MR stakeholder needs, as well as the removal of duplicative clauses and sub clauses from 26362 and the previous version of 20252. The association says it also reflects new data practices, including ethical requirements, and additional updated clauses on data management that align with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The new standard includes the mandatory requirements from 20252:2012 and 26362:2009, which are now retired; and will include ISO 19731 research data analytics.

All CIRQ certification clients will have until December 2020 to transition to and audit under the new standard, and any questions should be directed to CIRQ's Director of Certifications, Juliana.Wood@cirq.org . David Almy (pictured), the Association's CEO, comments: 'The new ISO 20252 standard represents a milestone for the insights industry, providing marked operational benefits to certified companies. They are a special class within the industry, operating at the highest levels. We have been deeply involved in its creation and our team of auditors are fully trained to the new standard'.

Web sites: www.insightsassociation.org and www.cirq.org .