The group has been formed as part of the MRS diversity and inclusion strategy and aims to understand and measure current sampling practice, as well as communicate benchmarks for progress and offer resources to overcome potential barriers to sample being representative.

Several industry commentators have raised concerns over the barriers to making research representative of minority groups, including the ‘prohibitively expensive’ cost of sample, GDPR legislation on sensitive data, and research accessibility.

Chaired by Rebecca Cole, managing director at Cobalt Sky, the steering group has begun work on qualitative and quantitative research to inform a series of MRS reports on the topic, set to be published later in the year.

Jane Frost, chief executive, MRS, said: "How can we claim to be a profession if we are not always striving to ensure our methodologies are the best they can be, to help our clients get the clearest insight? Real inclusion is no longer something that can be brushed away.

"Being true professionals and real experts in providing a platform for the diverse voices of our markets is what clients want. More and more of them are coming forward to ask tough questions about how we perform on this issue. The UK has always been a global leader in research and insights. This work on the fundamentals of how we design samples, and how we challenge the briefs that we are given, will help us stay that way."

As part of its research, the sampling steering group is inviting interested parties to share their perspectives. For more information, visit the group web page.