YouGov cashes in on election polls

Political pollstering group YouGov yesterday said real-time survey work for this year's general election helped drive a 60 per cent leap in annual UK operating profits.

The firm, which reported UK earnings of 3.4 million on revenues up 9 per cent in the year to 31 July, provided polls on election voting on a daily basis for major client News International, publisher of the Times and News of the World.

The election boost added to cost-savings from last year's restructuring of the customised polling service, as well as benefits from signing up new clients, including the Office of Fair Trading and drugs giant Pfizer.

Overall, group pre-tax profits rose to 4m on an underlying basis from 3.9m the previous year, helped by efforts to cut costs, the streamlining of operations and the turnaround of under-performing divisions.