Nik Nanos
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{short description|Canadian opinion pollster, entrepreneur, public speaker and author}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{BLP sources|date=May 2010}}
{{Primary sources|date=December 2023}}
{{NPOV|date=December 2023}}
}}
Nikita James "Nik" Nanos {{post-nominals|country=CAN|size=100%|CM}} (born 1964) is a Canadian public opinion pollster, entrepreneur, public speaker, author, and expert in political, business and social trends.
{{Infobox person
| name = Nik Nanos
| birth_name = Nikita James Nanos
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1964}}
| website = {{URL|nanos.co}}
}}
Early life and education
The son of Greek immigrants, he grew up in Trenton, Ontario,{{Cite magazine|url=https://smith.queensu.ca/magazine/issues/summer-2014/profiles/nanos-numbers.php|title=Nanos by the Numbers|magazine=Smith Magazine|publisher=Queen's University|date=Summer 2014|access-date=December 30, 2023|last=Pleiter|first=Shelly}} attending Dufferin Public School and Prince Charles Public School with one year at Trenton High School. With the sudden death of his father,{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.foreveryoungnews.com/articles/nik-nanos-profile-sober-thoughts-on-turning-50/|title=Nik Nanos profile: Sober thoughts on turning 50|date=January 16, 2014|magazine=Forever Young|access-date=December 30, 2023|language=en-CA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107010029/http://www.foreveryoungnews.com/articles/nik-nanos-profile-sober-thoughts-on-turning-50/|archive-date=November 7, 2017}} he moved to Oshawa, Ontario and attended O'Neill Collegiate and Vocational Institute, where he was the Poet Laureate in his final year of high school. He attended Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where he earned undergraduate degrees in history and political studies and a Master of Business Administration. He also undertook PhD-level studies at the University of Nottingham School of Politics and International Relations.{{Cite web|url=https://carleton.ca/secretariat/boardofgovernors/people/nik-nanos/|title=Nik Nanos - Board of Governors|website=carleton.ca|publisher=Carleton University|language=en-CA|access-date=December 30, 2023}}
He founded SES Canada Research Inc., the precursor of Nanos Research, as an undergraduate student at Queen's University.{{Cite web|url=http://www.queensu.ca/gazette/alumnireview/stories/man-whos-never-wrong|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425140849/http://www.queensu.ca/gazette/alumnireview/stories/man-whos-never-wrong|archive-date=April 25, 2017|title=The man who's never wrong|date=November 20, 2015|language=en|access-date=December 30, 2023|last=Stokes|first=Andrew|work=Queen's Alumni Review|publisher=Queen's University}} While at Queen's, he was President of the Queen's Debating Union, where he represented Queen's in Canada,{{Cite web|url=http://www.cusid.ca/homepage/old-results/|title=Pre-2013 Results|website=cusid.ca|language=en-CA|publisher=Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate|access-date=December 30, 2023}} the United States, and at the National and World Universities Debating Championship{{Cite web|url=https://www.ucc.ie/law/irishlaw/dwhelan/World%20Debating%20Championships%20UCD%201987.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913051212/https://www.ucc.ie/law/irishlaw/dwhelan/World%20Debating%20Championships%20UCD%201987.pdf|archive-date=September 13, 2014|access-date=December 30, 2023|title=World Debating Championships 1987|publisher=Literary and Historical Society}} in extemporaneous parliamentary debating.
In 2023, he was appointed a research adjunct Professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) at Carleton University. Between 2008 and 2021, he was a Research Associate Professor at the State University of New York (SUNY Buffalo) specializing in US–Canada relations.{{Cite web|url=https://arts-sciences.buffalo.edu/political-science/faculty/adjuncts-lecturers-research-professors.host.html/content/shared/arts-sciences/political-science/faculty-staff/research-profiles/nanos-nik.html|title=Nanos, Nik|publisher=University at Buffalo Department of Political Science|access-date=December 30, 2023}}
Nanos is currently a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., conducting research on populism and energy politics,{{Cite web|url=https://www.wilsoncenter.org/person/nik-nanos|title=Nik Nanos|publisher=Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars|access-date=December 30, 2023}} a Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa's Collaboratory on Energy Research and Policy{{Cite web|url=https://www.uottawa.ca/research-innovation/positive-energy/team|title=Our team|publisher=University of Ottawa|language=en|access-date=December 30, 2023}} and an Executive Fellow at the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary.{{cite web|url=https://www.policyschool.ca/our-member-category/fellows/|title=Fellows|publisher=School of Public Policy|access-date=December 30, 2023}}
Nanos has also been elected a Fellow and Chair of Board of the Canadian Research and Insights Council (CRIC),{{Cite web|title=Fellows|url=https://canadianresearchinsightscouncil.ca/about/fellows/|access-date=December 30, 2023|publisher=Canadian Research Insights Council|language=en}}{{cite press release|url=https://www.canadianresearchinsightscouncil.ca/cric-announces-retirement-of-gary-bennewies-welcomes-nik-nanos-as-its-new-chair/|title=CRIC Announces Retirement of Gary Bennewies – Welcomes Nik Nanos as its new Chair|date=August 24, 2022|publisher=Canadian Research Insights Council|access-date=December 30, 2023}} and holds a Certified Management Consulting (CMC) designation.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cmc-canada.ca/membersonly/communities/community-home?CommunityKey=312b2f34-778e-480a-b56f-10e3e4dd8c24|title=New CMC Certifications|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107004219/http://www.cmc-canada.ca/membersonly/communities/community-home?CommunityKey=312b2f34-778e-480a-b56f-10e3e4dd8c24|archive-date=November 7, 2017|access-date=December 30, 2023|last=Mackay|first=Craig|date=June 2017|publisher=Canadian Association of Management Consultants}}
Career
Nanos is Chairman of the Nanos Research Group of Companies and is business partners with his brother John Nanos, who is also a graduate of Queen's University.
At the beginning of his career, his firm conducted a controversial riding survey that predicted Peter Milliken (later to become the Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada), a relatively unknown Liberal federal candidate in the riding of Kingston and the Islands, would defeat senior Progressive Conservative Cabinet Minister Flora Macdonald in the 1988 Canadian federal election. He also pioneered publicly released nightly election tracking in 2004 with the Cable Public Affairs Channel and has conducted nightly tracking in every federal election in Canada since that time. In the 2006 Canadian federal election, his results were within one tenth of one percent for all the major parties – a first in Canadian polling history.
The Nanos Research Group of Companies includes Nanos-dimap Analytika, an analytics and targeting research practice, which is a joint venture with dimap, a research organization in Germany. Nik also leads the team behind the Nanos Bloomberg Canadian Confidence Index,{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-08/consumer-sentiment-soars-as-canadians-shrug-off-rate-increases|title=Consumer Sentiment Soars as Canadians Shrug Off Rate Increases|date=August 8, 2017|last=Quinn|first=Greg|publisher=Bloomberg News|access-date=December 30, 2023|url-access=subscription}} which monitors consumer confidence in the Canadian economy and whose data is streamed to Bloomberg News terminals every week.
His analysis and insight have appeared in The Economist,{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21722898-if-aim-border-security-prevent-drug-smuggling-extra-dollars-might-be-better|title=The case for building a wall to keep Canadians out|magazine=The Economist|date=June 3, 2017|url-access=subscription|location=Chicago}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.economist.com/news/americas/21722737-andrew-scheer-has-same-ideas-defeated-prime-minister-cheery-new-leader-canadas|title=The cheery new leader of Canada's Conservatives|magazine=The Economist|date=June 3, 2017|url-access=subscription|location=Toronto}} The Wall Street Journal,{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/canada-forecasts-bottom-line-boost-on-growth-surge-1508879132|title=Canada Forecasts Bottom-Line Boost on Growth Surge|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=October 24, 2017|last=Vieira|first=Paul|access-date=December 30, 2023|location=Ottawa|url-access=subscription}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/delayed-nafta-talks-to-seep-into-political-races-next-year-in-u-s-mexico-1508358058|title=Delayed Nafta Talks to Seep Into Political Races Next Year in U.S., Mexico|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=October 18, 2017|last1=Mauldin|first1=William|last2=Althaus|first2=Dudley|access-date=December 30, 2023|url-access=subscription|location=Washington, D.C., and Mexico City}} Bloomberg News,{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-04/canada-consumer-confidence-edges-higher-as-poloz-eyes-rate-hike|title=Canada Consumer Confidence Edges Higher as Poloz Eyes Hike|date=July 4, 2017|last=Wingrove|first=Josh|publisher=Bloomberg News|access-date=December 30, 2023|url-access=subscription}} Reuters,{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-canada-politics-conservatives-idUKKBN18O0Q9/|title=A conservative 'common man' set to challenge Canada's Trudeau|last=Ljunggren|first=David|publisher=Reuters|location=Ottawa|date=May 28, 2017|access-date=December 30, 2023|language=en-CA}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL2N1MR0VA/|location=Toronto|title=Under pressure over tax reform, Canada cuts small business tax|access-date=December 30, 2023|language=en-CA|publisher=Reuters|date=October 16, 2017}} The Guardian,{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/04/justin-trudeau-canada-first-year-prime-minister-global-stage-challenge|title=Tru love: Canada's year of Justin Trudeau has been a honeymoon, but will it last?|last=Kassam|first=Ashifa|date=November 4, 2016|work=The Guardian|access-date=December 30, 2023|language=en|issn=0261-3077|location=Toronto}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/01/canada-elections-women-campaigns|title=Canadian elections hinge on women – at the polls and behind the scenes|last=Murphy|first=Jessica|location=Ottawa|date=July 1, 2015|work=The Guardian|access-date=December 30, 2023|language=en|issn=0261-3077}} the BBC{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35238732|title=Justin Trudeau: How is the new Canadian leader doing?|date=January 7, 2016|publisher=BBC News|access-date=December 30, 2023|language=en-GB|last=Gold|first=Ashley}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38964069|title=Canada 's{{sic|hide=y}} concerns about close border ties with US|last=Murphy|first=Jessica|date=February 17, 2017|location=Toronto|publisher=BBC News|access-date=December 30, 2023|language=en}} and all of Canada’s major media outlets. He is the pollster of record for The Globe and Mail,{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/trump-presents-a-political-opportunity-for-the-ndp/article35229611/|title=Trump presents a political opportunity for the NDP|date=June 7, 2017|orig-date=Originally published June 6, 2017|work=The Globe and Mail|last=Nanos|first=Nik|access-date=December 30, 2023|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608061445/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/trump-presents-a-political-opportunity-for-the-ndp/article35229611/|archive-date=June 8, 2017|url-access=subscription|url-status=dead}} and CTV News.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/nanos|title=Nanos on the Numbers|publisher=CTV News|language=en|access-date=December 30, 2023}} He is a regular contributor to The Globe and Mail with his monthly column, "Data Dive", and has a weekly segment on CTV News Channel, "Nanos on the Numbers", which profiles the latest political, social, and business trends.
Nanos founded Nanos Research while an undergraduate student at Queen's University. Since that time, he has built a reputation for polling reliability and insight.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.queensu.ca/alumnireview/sites/alumnireview/files/2022-01/2011-3-QAR.pdf|title=Nik Nanos calls elections with finesse|magazine=Queen's Alumni Review|publisher=Queen's University|issue=3|date=Summer 2011|language=en|access-date=December 30, 2023|page=50|last=Abdelmahmoud|first=Elamin}} He conducted all the research for Staples Business Depot in Canada as it expanded from 19 to 225 stores. He is a regular expert for Bell Media on telecommunications regulatory issues{{cite press release|url=https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/nanos-20-canadians-say-ability-watch-super-bowl-ads-important-supporting-canadian-broadcasters/|title=Nanos: Only 20% of Canadians Say Ability to Watch Super Bowl Ads More Important Than Supporting Canadian Broadcasters|work=The Lede|publisher=Bell Media|language=en|access-date=December 30, 2023|date=March 2, 2015|location=Toronto}} before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and has conducted numerous due diligence research projects for KPMG's Mergers and Acquisition practice. Nik has also been an expert for reputation and trademark litigations for clients such as Staples, Adidas, PepsiCo, Heineken, Bodum, and IMAX.
Nanos has been named one of the Top 100 most influential people in government and politics in Canada in 2021 by The Hill Times{{Cite news|url=https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2017/02/08/top-100-unusual-suspects/279239/|title=The Top 100: The unusual suspects|date=February 8, 2017|work=The Hill Times|access-date=December 30, 2023|language=en-CA|url-access=subscription|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116172640/https://www.hilltimes.com/2017/02/08/top-100-unusual-suspects/95582|archive-date=November 16, 2018|last=Foster|first=Ally}} and is a regular public speaker at conferences.{{cite web|url=https://www.bespokenbureau.com/niknanos/|title=Nik Nanos|website=Bespoken Bureau|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101231400/https://www.bespokenbureau.com/niknanos/|archive-date=November 1, 2016|access-date=December 30, 2023}}
His research focuses on the application of supervised and unsupervised machine learning algorithms and the integration of large-scale behavioural and sentiment datasets.
He is the author of The Age of Voter Rage, which explores populist politics and how small swings in voter sentiment and computational propaganda influence democratic outcomes in the United States, Canada, the UK, and France. Nanos was also a contributing writer for the book Tactical Reading: A Snappy Guide to the Snap Election 2017,{{cite book|title=Tactical Reading: A Snappy Guide to the Snap Election 2017|isbn=1911335952|editor1-last=Payne|editor1-first=Alexandra|editor2-last=Swift|editor2-first=Todd|publisher=Eyewear Publishing|year=2017}} which explores the landscape in the 2017 United Kingdom general election.
On April 30, 2025, Carleton University announced that Nanos would become its 13th Chancellor, effective July 1st of the same year.{{cite web|url=https://newsroom.carleton.ca/2025/new-chancellor/ | title=Nikita Nanos named Chancellor of Carleton University | access-date=May 1, 2025}}
Service and philanthropy
Nanos was the 2006–2007 National President of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA).{{cite web|url=https://mria-arim.ca/about-mria/past-presidents|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107030555/https://mria-arim.ca/about-mria/past-presidents|archive-date=November 7, 2017|title=Past Presidents|publisher=Marketing Research and Intelligence Association|language=en|access-date=December 30, 2023}}
During his tenure as National President, he presided over the launch of the Charter of Respondent Rights, the renewal of the marketing research industry's professional designation, and a review of the standards regulating market and public opinion research in Canada.{{cite press release|url=http://mria-arim.ca/sites/default/uploads/files/PressRelease-Oct2-2006.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316104345/http://mria-arim.ca/sites/default/uploads/files/PressRelease-Oct2-2006.pdf|archive-date=March 16, 2015|title=World's First Charter of Respondent Rights Highlights Research Industry's Commitment to the Canadian Public|location=Ottawa|date=October 3, 2006|publisher=Marketing Research and Intelligence Association}}
He served as the Chair of the Board of Governors of Carleton University between 2018 and 2020, and presided over the installation of Chancellor Yaprak Baltacioğlu and President Benoit-Antoine Bacon.
Nanos was also appointed as an Honorary Captain in the Royal Canadian Navy.{{cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/navy/corporate/community-support/honorary-navy-captains/list-honorary-captains.html|title=List: Honorary Captains of the Royal Canadian Navy|publisher=Government of Canada|language=en-CA|date=May 3, 2022|access-date=December 30, 2023}}
With an interest in advancing and supporting journalism, Nanos led the creation of the G. Stuart Adam Award in Journalism,{{cite web|url=https://futurefunder.carleton.ca/giving-fund/g-stuart-adam-graduate-award-in-journalism/|title=G. Stuart Adam Graduate Award in Journalism|access-date=December 30, 2023|language=en-CA|publisher=Carleton University}} which gives outstanding Master of Journalism students at Carleton the means to go out into the field, across Canada or abroad, to produce their capstone Master's Research Project. Nanos also established the Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy Scholarship,{{cite web|title=Commander Royal Canadian Navy Scholarship|url=https://futurefunder.carleton.ca/giving-fund/commander-royal-canadian-navy-scholarship/|access-date=December 30, 2023|language=en-CA|publisher=Carleton University}} which is awarded annually to an outstanding graduate student enrolled at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs specializing in Security and Defense Studies, with a focus on the Royal Canadian Navy and/or the Canadian Armed Forces. He also created the Indigenous Enriched Support Program School Mentorship Fund at Carleton University.{{cite web|title=Indigenous Enriched Support Program (IESP) School Mentoring Fund|url=https://futurefunder.carleton.ca/giving-fund/indigenous-enriched-support-program-iesp-school-mentoring-fund/|access-date=December 30, 2023|language=en-CA|publisher=Carleton University}} He is a regular supporter through research of the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression,{{cite news|url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/cjfe-to-release-annual-review-of-free-expression-in-canada-620946903.html|title=CJFE to Release Annual Review of Free Expression in Canada|date=May 1, 2017|location=Toronto|publisher=Canadian Journalists for Free Expression|via=CNW Group|access-date=December 30, 2023|language=en-CA}}{{cite web|url=http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/cjfe/legacy_url/1035/2014CJFE_Review_Poll.pdf?1414099480|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129095552/http://www.cjfe.org/poll_what_do_canadians_think_about_free_expression/|archive-date=November 29, 2016|url-status=live|title=Do Canadians Care About Free Expression?|pages=6–7|work=CJFE Review|year=2014|publisher=Canadian Journalists for Free Expression|access-date=December 30, 2023}} which works to defend and protect the right to free expression in Canada and around the world. Nanos is a past Chair of the Government of Ontario's Constable Joe Macdonald Public Safety Officers Survivors' Scholarship Fund, which assists the families of police and public safety officers killed in the line of duty with the costs of post-secondary education.
Nanos has served as the 69th President of the Rideau Club of Canada.{{Cite web|url=http://www.rideauclub.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/2013-Annual-Report-E.pdf|title=Annual Report – 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107011922/http://www.rideauclub.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/2013-Annual-Report-E.pdf|archive-date=November 7, 2017|access-date=December 30, 2023|publisher=Rideau Club}}
Nanos currently serves on the Board of The Hellenic Initiative Canada,{{cite web|title=About Us|publisher=The Hellenic Initiative Canada|url=https://ca.thehellenicinitiative.org/about-us/ |access-date=December 30, 2023|language=en-CA}} a registered charity which funds programs in Greece that secure food for children and provide access to health care for all.
He is a member of the Canadian Order of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association.
He was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2023, "[f]or his committed leadership in the market research and public opinion industry."{{cite web|url=https://www.gg.ca/en/order-canada-appointees-december-2023|title=Order of Canada appointees – December 2023|publisher=Governor General of Canada|access-date=December 30, 2023}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.nanosresearch.com Nanos Research]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20140618180059/http://www.nikonthenumbers.com/ Personal blog]
- [http://www.sesresearch.com SES Research]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nanos, Nik}}
Category:Canadian public relations people
Category:Members of the Order of Canada