Market Research & Public Opinion Polling NAICS 541910

Mar 30, 2026 - Synthetic AI Data is Powerful Market Research Tool

• Artificial intelligence is giving market researchers a new shortcut: synthetic data that mimics real consumer responses. The method - which is cheap, quick, and scalable - is reshaping how companies test ideas and understand audiences, even as the industry debates how far it can be trusted. The technology takes several forms, from synthetic personas and simulated surveys to digital twins and AI-powered interviews. Results are mixed when used in isolation, but improve sharply when models are trained on real survey data. EY found a 95% correlation between synthetic personas and its actual CEO survey results. The market reflects the enthusiasm: valued at $580 million in 2025, it's projected to reach $7.22 billion by 2033, according to Kings Research. Privacy regulations, AI training demands, and cost pressures are all accelerating adoption. For now, most researchers treat it as a complement to real data collection, but the gap is narrowing.
• Employment for market research and public opinion polling companies fell 3.4% year over year in January 2026, per the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, continuing a steady decline in an industry grappling with fundamental structural change due to technology. The heavy lifting of market research - data collection and analysis - has increasingly been taken over by software, automation, and AI, reducing the need for human staff. Businesses are also hiring outside market research companies less and relying instead on open-source survey tools to gather information in house. The industry also has to respond to the decline of traditional polling methods - landline phone calls, for instance - that are no longer as effective in the age of cell phones and call screening. Self-reported opinions have also decreased in importance as the industry favors the hard data of digital tracking (Web activity, online purchasing) that it deems more accurate.

• Generative AI is changing the way the market research industry operates, giving companies tools to gather and analyze data faster and cheaper than ever before. Instead of waiting weeks or months for survey results or focus group insights, firms can now create synthetic data, run automated sentiment analysis, and even build virtual “digital twins” of customers to simulate behavior and test scenarios in real time. This opens up new ways to understand consumer preferences, uncover unmet needs, and spot emerging trends that traditional methods often miss. AI does come with risks, however, like biased data, quality issues, and privacy concerns, which means human oversight is still crucial. Combining AI’s speed and scale with human judgment lets market researchers deliver faster and more actionable insights.
• US brands are experiencing a notable decline in global trust and purchase intent, according to Ipsos’s Brand America 2025 report. When a brand is perceived as distinctly “American,” its international trust and purchase scores drop by about 20 points on average. While the American identity remains a powerful cultural and economic asset, it has also become a liability in certain international markets due to shifting political, social, and economic perceptions. Per the report, consumers abroad increasingly weigh the perceived values and actions of the US when evaluating American products and services, which can influence brand reputation and willingness to purchase. For US corporate leaders and brand managers, the findings suggest that success in global markets increasingly depends on understanding local perspectives, adapting messaging, and aligning brand positioning with regional expectations.