The latest revision of ISO 20252:2026 has several significant changes, including:

• Annex A, which previously covered both Sampling and Access Panels, now only addresses Sampling.
  
• A NEW Annex G has been added covering Panel Development and Lifecycle Management.
  
• Clause 4.1.5 covers ‘Development and use of AI and related technologies’, with explicit requirements:
  • For proposals to describe the type of AI and related technologies used and the specific research stage it was applied
  • To record and communicate to the client if AI and related technologies were used to generate research insight
  • No project or client-owned data passed through AI without the client’s explicit consent
  • To document the version(s) of AI and related technologies
  • If they interact with AI, Participants are informed of AI use
  • Monitoring procedures for AI including security, privacy and quality.
•  Useful new tables provide clarity in A.2.4.1 Sample provider transparency and G.3.1.1 Panel provider transparency.
  
• Legal requirements have moved up from 4.8 to 4.1.2.
  
• 4.3 Information Security [slightly] better aligned to ISO 27001.   A new incident reporting subclause has been added.

What’s New in ISO 20252:2026?

Assent Risk Management is one of the leading global consultancies for ISO 20252 the standard for Market, Opinion and Social Research, including insights and data analytics, so a 2026 update is exciting news for us.

The publication of a revised standard starts a process for our team: carefully reviewing the requirements, building our competencies and testing new templates and methods.

In fact, we have an established process for Understanding New ISO Standards.

This article represents our first step in analysing the changes and communicating to clients and other interested parties.

ISO 20252:2026 is [still] not a Management System 

That standard remains a standalone quality management system for the market research industry, and although there are many common requirements with standards such as ISO 9001 and ISO 27001, they do not directly align to the Annex SL structure.

This is not a major issue, but it is disappointing, particularly when many market research companies also certify to ISO 27001 because of the amount of personal information they handle. 

74 Pages is now 84 Pages

Driven largely by 31 new ‘terms’ in clause 3, additional framework wording and the separation of Annex A into Annex A + Annex G, the standard is now slightly longer at 84 pages.

There is [still] no Nonconformance or Corrective Action Clause

Although “Corrective Action” is included in the much expanded Terms and Definitions section, there is still no explicit nonconformance or corrective action process, as you would find in clause 10 of a management system standard.

This leaves the internal audit clause particularly lacking direction and relying on compliance professionals to apply the usual assumption that audit findings will be resolved.

Although the ‘actions taken where required to rectify and prevent recurrence of any nonconformity’ are an input requirement of the ‘Senior Management Review’, so they are arguably captured.

Management Review is now ‘Senior’ Management Review

On that note, the addition of the word ‘Senior’ implies an intention for higher management to be more involved with the management review process, which departs from management system terminology.

New AI Clauses Covering Development and Use

The most significant change to the clause 4 framework is clause 4.1.5, which covers the ‘Development and use of AI and related technologies’.

This is significant in this current climate as AI tools permeate the market research industry.

The clause is sensibly divided into Development vs Use, recognising that many firms will not be developing their own systems and models, but using third-party AI – which may also be built into their existing survey or panel management tools.

The standard has a mix of requirements around communicating use of AI to clients and participants, so read this section carefully.

See also: ISO 42001: Determining your Role Relative to AI Systems 

Annex A Sampling and Access Panels is Split. New Annex G.

One of the most useful and obvious changes is the separation of Sampling from Panel Development and Lifecycle Management.

The previous standard did not work well for many participant recruiters and market research companies who maintained a “contact list” of experts / key opinion formers but re-engaged them freshly for each study.   

This separation allows clients to attest to Annex A for Sample, the NEW Annex G for Panel Development and Lifecycle Management or both as required. 

See also ISO 20252: Not Attested vs Excluded.

What is the Transition Process for ISO 20252:2026?

As with any new standard, there will be a defined transition period allowing all accreditation bodies, certification bodies and clients to make the necessary transition to the new standard.

Certification to ISO 20252:2026 will not be available until the accreditation body has updated its schemes and certification bodies have had a chance to train their auditors and attain competence.

Therefore, I would not expect the first ISO 20252:2026 for some months yet.  If you are on the ISO 20252:2019 journey, it is worth continuing at this stage.

The transition period is expected to be three years, like most standards, meaning you could have up to 2029 to make the transition – although most will transition earlier or at their recertification before 2029.