Morning Consult
Morning Consult is a private American business-intelligence and survey-research company that provides polling, consumer data, economic intelligence, and decision-support tools.
Last updated November 4, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Morning Consult is an American business-intelligence company focused on online survey research, polling, data services, and audience insight. The company serves organizations operating across business, marketing, economics, public affairs, media, and politics. Its work combines survey technology, recurring research programs, dashboards, and analytical services intended to help clients understand public opinion, consumer behavior, brand perception, economic sentiment, and political developments. The business emerged from polling work conducted before the launch of the Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges. In 2013, a poll examined whether young and uninsured Americans intended to enroll through the new exchanges. Morning Consult was formally established in 2014 and subsequently expanded from individual polling projects into a broader data and intelligence platform. Its research has been used by news organizations and cited in reporting on political opinion, consumer sentiment, brand health, and macroeconomic conditions. The company gained visibility during the 2016 United States presidential election cycle. In 2015, it published analysis concerning the so-called "Shy Trump" voter in the Republican primaries, a claim that was later challenged. In June 2016, it began polling investor sentiment in cooperation with Bloomberg News. It also entered a weekly polling partnership with Politico covering political issues, personalities, and media topics affecting public debate. The relationship continued after the election through releases associated with Politico Playbook. Morning Consult also conducts recurring research with The New York Times. Its 2016 election polling attracted attention because it indicated a closer contest than many other pollsters. However, the company incorrectly projected Hillary Clinton as the winner of the presidential election and estimated that she would win the national popular vote by three percentage points, whereas she lost the popular vote by approximately 2.1 percentage points. Later assessments cited by the reference material also characterized Morning Consult's performance in the 2018 and 2022 United States midterm elections as below average, with relatively large errors. These episodes illustrate both the public visibility and the methodological scrutiny associated with the company's polling activities. Morning Consult describes its polling approach as scientific online polling, while using a nonprobability sampling process and multiple nationally recognized sample vendors. It accesses large respondent pools and applies post-fieldwork weighting based on factors including age, race or ethnicity, gender, educational attainment, and region. The regional framework referenced in the company's election methodology was based on the 2016 Current Population Survey. This approach supports frequent and comparatively rapid survey measurement, but the use of nonprobability sampling and model-based weighting also makes methodology and forecasting performance important considerations for users of its political data. The company broadened its economic research offering with the launch of Economic Intelligence in fall 2019. During the early coronavirus outbreak in 2020, its consumer-confidence data identified a deterioration in sentiment and was cited in connection with a Federal Reserve emergency meeting on March 15, 2020. Morning Consult's data has also been referenced by major news organizations including The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Its Brand Intelligence work has been used to track changes in brand perception, including analysis of the National Football League brand after public criticism by President Donald Trump in 2017. Morning Consult raised $31 million in a Series A financing round completed in May 2020, reportedly valuing the company at $306 million. Investors included James Murdoch's Lupa Systems and Advance Venture Partners. In June 2021, the company raised a $60 million Series B led by Advance Venture Partners, with additional participation from Susquehanna Growth Equity and Lupa Systems. The round valued Morning Consult at more than $1 billion. The company has offices in Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco and remains an active private provider of survey research and business intelligence.
History
Morning Consult's origins trace to polling conducted immediately before the Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges opened. In 2013, the organization published research examining whether young and uninsured Americans planned to obtain coverage through the exchanges. The company was established in 2014 and developed from a polling operation into a broader business-intelligence provider. During the 2015 Republican presidential primary campaign, Morning Consult published a report about a possible "Shy Trump" electorate. The interpretation attracted attention but was subsequently challenged. In June 2016, the company began measuring investor sentiment with Bloomberg News. During the United States presidential election that year, Morning Consult and Politico created a weekly polling partnership covering political issues, personalities, and media-related subjects shaping public debate. The collaboration continued after the election through weekly material associated with Politico Playbook. Morning Consult also developed a recurring survey relationship with The New York Times. The 2016 election made the firm particularly visible among political pollsters. Its surveys depicted a closer contest than many competitors, but its final assessment incorrectly projected Hillary Clinton as the presidential winner. It also estimated that Clinton would win the national popular vote by three percentage points, while she ultimately lost the popular vote by approximately 2.1 percentage points. Reference material further reports that Morning Consult's performance in the 2018 and 2022 United States midterm elections was below average, with larger errors than most pollsters. These outcomes contributed to ongoing scrutiny of polling methods and election forecasting. Morning Consult uses online survey research based on nonprobability sampling and sample access obtained through multiple recognized vendors. After data collection, it applies weighting based on demographic and geographic variables, including age, race or ethnicity, gender, education, and region. The methodology described in the reference material uses regional definitions associated with the 2016 Current Population Survey. This model allows the company to conduct frequent surveys at scale, while requiring users to evaluate sample construction, weighting, and uncertainty when interpreting results. The company expanded its commercial research portfolio beyond political polling. Its Brand Intelligence work measures shifts in brand perception and has been cited in reporting on the National Football League's brand after Donald Trump's 2017 criticism of the league on Twitter. In fall 2019, Morning Consult launched Economic Intelligence. During the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020, the product detected a decline in consumer confidence, and the company's data was cited in relation to the Federal Reserve's emergency meeting on March 15, 2020. Media references to its economic and survey data have included The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Morning Consult's financing history marked a major period of expansion. In May 2020, the company completed a $31 million Series A round involving Lupa Systems, Advance Venture Partners, and other investors. The round reportedly valued the business at $306 million. In June 2021, Advance Venture Partners led a $60 million Series B, joined by Susquehanna Growth Equity and Lupa Systems. The financing placed the reported valuation above $1 billion. Morning Consult maintains offices in Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco and operates as a private provider of survey research, data services, and business intelligence.
- 2021
Series B financing and billion-dollar valuation
[1]Morning Consult raised $60 million in Series B financing and was reportedly valued at more than $1 billion.
- 2020
Series A financing
[1]The company completed a $31 million Series A financing round at a reported $306 million valuation.
- 2019
Economic Intelligence launched
[1]Morning Consult introduced its Economic Intelligence product for tracking economic and consumer conditions.
- 2016
Expansion of election and investor polling partnerships
[1]Morning Consult began investor-sentiment polling with Bloomberg News and formed a weekly political polling partnership with Politico during the U.S. presidential election.
- 2015
Publication of Shy Trump voter analysis
[1]The company published an analysis concerning a potentially underreported Donald Trump voter in the Republican presidential primaries; the claim was later challenged.
- 2014
Company established
[1]Morning Consult was established as an American business-intelligence and survey-research company.
- 2013
Initial Affordable Care Act enrollment poll
[1]Morning Consult's predecessor polling work examined whether young and uninsured Americans intended to enroll through the Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges before they opened.
Products and positioning
A high-frequency, technology-enabled provider of online polling and business intelligence for organizations that need current measures of public opinion, consumer behavior, brand health, and economic sentiment.
Brand research
Brand Intelligence
Brand Intelligence is Morning Consult's brand-perception research offering. It tracks how audiences view brands and how those perceptions change in response to public events, communications, controversies, and market developments. The product has been cited in media analysis, including research on changes in the National Football League's brand after Donald Trump's criticism of the league in 2017.
Economic research · 2019
Economic Intelligence
Economic Intelligence is a recurring data and research product launched in fall 2019. It measures economic conditions and consumer sentiment through survey-based indicators. During the early coronavirus outbreak, the product identified a decline in consumer confidence, and Morning Consult's related data was cited in connection with a Federal Reserve emergency meeting in March 2020.
Polling and survey research · 2013
Public-opinion polling
Morning Consult conducts online polling on political preferences, approval ratings, public issues, and other topics. Its methodology uses nonprobability sampling from large respondent pools followed by weighting across demographic and geographic variables. The company has produced election polling, leader-approval surveys, and recurring public-opinion research for media and institutional clients.
Business intelligence services
Custom survey research and data services
Morning Consult provides survey research and data services to organizations in business, marketing, economics, politics, public affairs, and media. These services can support audience measurement, consumer research, brand assessment, and analysis of current events. The offering represents the company's broader evolution from election polling into a general business-intelligence platform.
Controversies
2016
2016 presidential election polling error
Morning Consult incorrectly projected Hillary Clinton to win the 2016 U.S. presidential election and estimated a three-point national popular-vote victory, while Clinton lost the popular vote by approximately 2.1 percentage points. Reference material also reports below-average performance in the 2018 and 2022 U.S. midterm elections.
2015
Challenge to Shy Trump voter analysis
Morning Consult's analysis of a potentially undercounted or less openly declared Donald Trump voter in the 2015 Republican primaries attracted attention, but the claim was later challenged.
Marketing campaigns
- 2016Morning Consult–Politico weekly polling partnership
United States
Morning Consult and Politico collaborated on weekly polling covering political issues, personalities, and media topics relevant to the U.S. political debate during the 2016 presidential election. The relationship continued after the election through weekly releases connected with Politico Playbook.
Outcome. The partnership continued beyond the election and increased the visibility of Morning Consult's polling among political-news audiences.
Brand decisions
2021
Series B financing and expansionStrategyBackground
Morning Consult continued investing in its survey technology, data products, and intelligence business.
Action taken
The company raised $60 million in Series B financing led by Advance Venture Partners, with additional investment from Susquehanna Growth Equity and Lupa Systems.
Aftermath
The reported valuation exceeded $1 billion, marking Morning Consult as a privately held business-intelligence company with unicorn status.
Reported company valuation. $306 million → More than $1.01 billion (June 2021 Series B financing)
2020
Scale-up through Series A financingStrategyBackground
The company was expanding from polling into a broader business-intelligence and data-services platform.
Action taken
Morning Consult completed a $31 million Series A financing round involving Lupa Systems, Advance Venture Partners, and other investors.
Aftermath
The reported financing valuation reached $306 million.
Reported company valuation. $306 million (May 2020 Series A financing)
2019
Launch of Economic IntelligenceProduct launchBackground
Morning Consult sought to extend its survey capabilities into recurring measurement of economic conditions and consumer confidence.
Action taken
The company launched Economic Intelligence in fall 2019.
Aftermath
Its consumer-confidence data was used during the early coronavirus outbreak and was cited in connection with the Federal Reserve's March 15, 2020 emergency meeting.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/morning-consult · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled