TNS wins “Eurobarometer Qualitative Studies” tender

TNS, the global market insight and information group, has won a competitive tender from the  European Commission and the European Parliament to conduct all their qualitative studies. This  frame-work contract represents what is believed to be the world's largest and most prestigious  qualitative research programme and is valued at some €15 million over a period of four years.

The Eurobarometer qualitative studies will be managed within TNS' Political & Social sector by  TNS Opinion, one of TNS' most experienced co-ordination centres for multi-country studies. The EU  uses its Eurobarometer qualitative studies to examine reactions to different public policies or  actions undertaken in connection with them, to evaluate communication material and key messages,  and to go deeper into the understanding of some of the quantitative results and the formation of  public opinion over time.

These studies will involve focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with both the general  public, as well as some specific target groups. The Eurobarometer qualitative studies will cover  34 countries/territories, comprising: the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU), the three  candidate countries (Turkey, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia); Norway,  Iceland and Switzerland, and the Turkish Cypriot Community (located in the area not controlled by  the Government of the Republic of Cyprus).

TNS has worked for the European Institutions since 1974 when it first won the contract for the  quantitative Standard Eurobarometer studies.

Leendert de Voogd, global head of TNS Political & Social, said, ''We are delighted to win this  major new assignment from the European Institutions, one of our Global Accounts. This success is  due to the hard work of a large international team at TNS which successfully demonstrated our  strong track record in conducting sophisticated qualitative market research globally. Our strong  presence in the European territory and our knowledge of our clients' needs have helped us to win  this highly competitive tender. We look forward to building on our strong partnership with the  European Commission and the European Parliament.''

TNS demonstrated its proprietary 6dTV capability in the tender process. 6dTV is a live and  interactive research platform which uses video to allow researchers and clients to follow focus  groups live via the internet from a remote location. It also allows them to investigate responses  instantly and ask unscripted questions in real-time to uncover the ''whys'' behind the data.

TNS' Political & Social sector is the leading provider of political and social research in many  countries. It covers elections and delivers insight into public opinion on a wide range of  issues, including public policy, education, employment, environment, health, social services and  political polling. Clients include public sector and government bodies, political parties, media,  non-government organizations, and major international and national institutions including  universities and scientific establishments.