Observer Links with Opinium for Pre-Election Poll

The UK's Observer newspaper has partnered with London-based full service agency Opinium Research to launch a new political poll ahead of the party conference season.

The first Opinium/Observer Political Poll, which will appear in this Sunday's Observer, will analyse public opinion about the Liberal Democratic party as its conference gets underway, while trying to uncover whether a change in leadership might improve its chances in the next election.

Opinium was founded in 2007 by former YouGov Head of Market Research Mark Hodson, to offer research in customer loyalty, employee satisfaction, public sector, financial services and media. In 2009, the firm launched a UK political poll to track voter intention on a weekly basis ahead of the 2010 general election, correctly predicting a hung parliament.

The new poll, which will also monitor party leader approval ratings, will be published in the Observer and online at www.guardian.co.uk every fortnight, and then weekly in the months leading up to the next general election.

Toby Helm, the Observer's Political Editor comments: 'We are delighted to start an arrangement with Opinium which will be a great service to all our readers. The polls will be used prominently in the Observer and online, and will give our readers a great insight into the state of public opinion at a fascinating time for politics.'

Web site: www.opinium.co.uk .