From Data to Dialogue: The Evolution of the MRS Census and GeoDems Group
30 April 2026

But as the landscape around data, analytics and insight continues to evolve, so too must the conversations we have about it.

Creating space for ideas, exploration and collaboration

Building on this strong heritage, CGG is evolving how it supports discussion, learning and collaboration within the community. A new working party, Research and Content, has been established to provide a dedicated forum for ideas-led, exploratory conversation across census, geodemographics, statistics and related fields.

Chaired by Jaan Nellis, Co-Founder and Director at Redsella Limited and a CGG committee member, the working party is intended first and foremost as a space for interesting conversations. It is for members who enjoy exploring ideas, sharing what they are working on, and connecting with others across the research and geodemographics community.

Importantly, this is designed to feel informal, open and genuinely collaborative. There is no fixed agenda or rigid programme. Instead, the emphasis is on curiosity, dialogue and bringing people together around topics that matter.

What the Research and Content working party will do

In practical terms, the group will:

• Provide a space to talk about current work, emerging themes and sector developments
• Invite members, and external collaborators where appropriate, to share projects they are involved in
• Explore natural crossover with geodemographics and identify topics of interest to the wider CGG community
• Help surface ideas that could benefit from collaboration across organisations or disciplines

Over time, tangible outputs may emerge from these discussions. These could include articles, papers, events or presentations. Where outputs are developed collaboratively, contributors will be credited as authors or co-authors, ensuring appropriate recognition and visibility within the sector.

MRS will support coordination of any agreed outputs, helping ideas move from discussion to delivery without losing the informality that makes early-stage exploration valuable.

Flexible, idea-led and inclusive

The working party will meet on an ad hoc, idea-led basis. This flexible approach is intended to make it easier for members to get involved, without the pressure of standing commitments or formal reporting requirements.

The aim is to spark creativity and invite members to shape the agenda.

The working party are particularly keen to explore whether some topics might lend themselves to involvement from university students or interns, either as part of degree work or through relevant work experience. That could mean hands-on research, or lighter-touch supervision and guidance from practitioners in the field. Bringing together new thinking and collaboration with those that have significant experience. 

Building on shared curiosity

This approach builds on the way CGG has already brought people together around emerging and sometimes uncertain topics. As an example, members previously collaborated on exploring the implications of chatbots and statistical accuracy, prompted by early generations of large language models confidently presenting hallucinated content as fact. That work grew out of shared observation, curiosity and discussion, rather than a predefined brief.

There is a collective belief that there are many more areas across census use, geodemographics, statistics and AI where our community can be curious, challenge assumptions, and develop informed points of view that are valuable to the wider research sector.

Join the conversation

Ultimately, the Research and Content working party aims to be a place where ideas are tested, perspectives are developed, and content emerges naturally from thoughtful discussion, all in service of the broader Census and GeoDems Group and research community.

If you work in statistics, AI, geodemographics or census-based research, and are interested in learning more or getting involved, we would love to hear from you.

Contact us at: cgg@mrs.org.uk