Joe Twyman

Joe Twyman is Head of Political and Social Research for Europe, Middle East and Africa at YouGov and was a founding director of the company back in 2000. His first responsibility was to build the company’s online research operations, having previously developed internet research for Research Services Limited (now Ipsos-MORI).

Prior to leading the Political and Social Research Team, Joe held a variety of senior positions within the company. This included spending two and a half years in Baghdad as a director of YouGov’s Iraq operation from 2007 to 2010, working closely with organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme and the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission.

Joe has conducted research for a host of different clients on a wide range of subjects, spoken at conferences across the world and has been a project director for the 2001, 2005, 2010 and 2015 British Election Studies. He has co-ordinated election studies in countries beginning with the letters A, B, C, E, F, U and I (hoping to complete the alphabet by the time he retires).

Joe is an affiliated lecturer at the University of Cambridge, a visiting professor at the University of Sheffield, a visiting Research Fellow at the University of Manchester and a lecturer in research methods at the University of Essex Summer School in Social Science Data Analysis and Collection. In addition he is the author of a number of academic journal articles including Getting it Right: YouGov and Online Survey Research, published in a special edition of the Journal of Elections, Public Opinion, and Parties. He is also co-author (with David Sanders, Harold Clarke, Marianne Stewart and Paul Whiteley) of The 2001 British Election Study Internet Poll: a Methodological Experiment, published in the Journal of Political Marketing and (with Harold Clarke, Allan Kornberg and Thomas Scotto) Flawless Campaign, Fragile Victory: Voting in Canada's 2006 Federal Election, published in PS: Political Science and Politics.

He frequently provides expert analysis for both the national and international media including BBC television and radio, Sky News, ITN, Reuters, Bloomberg, GMTV and CNBC. On the night of the 2015 General Election he was the on-screen polling analyst for the Sky News live broadcast and was also named a ‘World Opinion Leader for the 21st Century’ by El Comercio newspaper in Ecuador.

Joe holds a BA in Politics from the University of Sheffield and, in his spare time, enjoys swimming, films, cooking and then more swimming. He is a former national backstroke champion (albeit for his age group) and once held three British relay records.