Public Sector

NielsenIQ is a trusted data partner helping governments, NGOs, academia, and research organizations around the world modernize and leverage actionable insights with precision and in real-time to help shape, inform and resolve policy outcomes for a healthier, safer, and more equitable future.

Our FMCG retail sales and consumer intelligence data provide a unique consumer perspective that drives meaningful change in the realm of global, regional, and local health, nutrition, and consumer product safety challenges.This data is crucial for effective policy evaluation and ensuring policy effectiveness.

NIQ’s best-in-class data can help you

With our data, policymakers can access to up-to-date information to respond quickly to changing conditions and emerging social and economic issues and policy research topics. Analyze how government policy and strategy affect consumer shopping behavior in real-time, including the following examples:  

Nutrition
  • Understand consumer spending and health journeys across the pre-diagnosis, diagnosis, and post-diagnosis stages.
  • Map the impact of nutrition by charting areas with healthier foods sales in relation to areas of chronic disease.
  • Track price versus unit sales of foods high in fat, sugar, and sodium foods as nutrition recommendations change over time.
  • Measure the impact of GLP-1 drugs on grocer spending and “Food is Medicine” programs.
Supply Chain
  • Measure sales and consumer behavior on tobacco and vaping bans, and estimate the impact of a potential menthol cigarette ban.  
  • Track sales related to Rx to OTC changes by federal or national agencies. Analyze OTC Naloxone sales against drug overdose data.
  • Track product recalls and on-shelf inventory such as cold medicine, baby formula and critical consumer products.
  • Measure last mile e-commerce deliveries and track electric vehicle sales. 
Pricing and Inflation
  • Track consumer purchasing behavior and the impact of food inflation and shrinkflation by measuring decreasing product size alongside stagnant or slightly increasing prices. 
  • Identify changes in prices of goods and services by tracking consumer tradeoffs, such as the inflation- driven decline in healthier food purchases. 
Sustainability
  • Collect required packaging data for EPR reporting: material type, total weight, size, recyclability, and packaging usage per product, categorized by state or region.
  • Track and monitor materials used in beverage containers to comply with Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) requirements.
  • Analyze the sales of potential environmentally damaging products such as aerosols, herbicides, pesticides and items containing PFAS within local, state and national geographic areas.

Insights for Consumer and Economic Research

A person vaping

Understand and address the implications of Vape shop growth

The e-cigarette and vape market in the United States is expected to reach a projected revenue of $69.53 billion by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate of 29.8% from 2024 to 2030. This growth is driven in part by increasing awareness of safer tobacco alternatives and the popularity of personalized vapes.

medical marijuana

Understand and address the implications of the decline in medical cannabis outlets

The recreational and medical cannabis market in the United States is expected to reach a projected revenue of $67.2B by 2030, up from $31.4B in 2024. This growth is driven in part by ongoing state legalization of recreational and medical cannabis, and destigmatizaiton of cannabis use overall.

As inflation rates continue to play out across Europe, the demand for precise inflation rate data has never been more critical.

NIQ has responded by developing a European inflation overview, calculated bottom-up – from the single barcode, by store, by week, up to Total FMCG level.

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Food in America Series: Improved health through consumer insights

Woman in yellow coat holding a long receipt in front of a shopping cart

Food in America: A tale of two consumers

In America, inequality is evident in many ways and is particularly pronounced in our dietary habits. This divide seems to be expanding, particularly in the realm of food, nutrition, and Americans’ ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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Top wellness trends to know for 2024

Discover the latest health and wellness trends for 2024 in our eBook! Explore insights on shifting consumer behaviors and emerging product attributes. Learn about economic influences, burgeoning health trends, the rise of clean labels, consumer sustainability focus, and much more.

Woman in brown coat reads ingredient label on a can holding a shopping cart

What’s next in wellness: Exploring the shopping patterns of budget-conscious consumers

With ongoing economic pressures, participation in the US Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) became more important to consumers in 2023.

NIQ data with impact

As diet-related diseases caused by unhealthy food consumption gain more attention, scientists and academics around the world are helping inform and guide policy decisions by conducting research that examines shopping patterns, product labeling, disparate pricing, and even advertising policies. NIQ-powered research continues to be featured in the world of academia. Here’s a sampling of what researchers from Australia to Germany to the United States have discovered. This work underscores the importance of health and nutrition research in advancing evidence-based policy.  

Shrinkflation and Consumer Demand

This paper investigates shrinkflation—the phenomenon of reducing product size while maintaining or slightly increasing prices—in the U.S. retail grocery market. We analyze a decade of NielsenIQ retail scanner data to assess the prevalence and patterns of product size changes across various product categories.  

ReportShrinkflation and Consumer Demand

Urban Food Price Inflation Disparities in the United States

This paper shows that food price inflation varies across rural, urban, and metro counties in the United States. To quantify this disparity, we calculate food price indices using NielsenIQ retail scanner data.  

Report:  Rural-Urban Food Price Inflation Disparities in the United States  

How is Climate Fueling the Thirst for Sweetness?

Amid the current syndemic of obesity and climate change, little is known about the effect of extreme temperatures on dietary behavior. Using exogenous daily variations in weather and a nationally representative consumer panel in the U.S., we find that extreme heat increases the volume purchased of sugary drinks, with persistent impacts even after accounting for inter-temporal purchase shifts.  

Report: How Is Climate Fueling the Thirst for Sweetness?   

Could Google help curb online advertising of unhealthy foods to US children?

Google’s voluntary 2020 action to restrict online food and beverage advertising in the EU and UK would limit online advertising of the most unhealthful products to children in the United States if the policy were applied to the U.S. market. Researchers from New South Wales University, the University of Wollongong, and the University of North Carolina came to this conclusion after using nutrient data from NIQ Label Insight for the top 25 US food and beverage manufacturers.  

Report: Could Google help curb online advertising of unhealthy foods to US children?   

Food Purchasing Pattern and Nutrition Quality Changes in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Consumption of ultra-processed foods has increased in most countries, and high consumption of such foods has been associated with non-communicable diseases. Researchers from the University of Toronto and Fundación Interamericana del Corazón Argentina used NIQ data to discover that automation can simplify and speed the process of monitoring and regulating ultra-processed foods in the global food supply.  

Report: Food Purchasing Pattern and Nutrition Quality Changes in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic    

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Impact of Sustainable Packaging on Buying Decisions.

TDLinx

See how products are performing at the neighborhood level and pinpoint exact store geographies where changes are happening, such as product recalls.

Optimize local insights with Precision Areas:

Regional or state level data can be too broad, capitalize on hyper-local opportunities with the most accurate targeting.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can behavioral insights help public-sector leaders increase citizen engagement?

Behavioral insights enable public-sector leaders to design policies and services that reflect how citizens actually think, decide, and act. Rather than relying on assumptions or historical participation rates, evidence-based policy uses observed behaviors—such as channel preference, response timing, and service friction points—to inform engagement strategies. Policy evaluation grounded in behavior helps governments understand why citizens disengage, what motivates participation, and which interventions remove barriers. By aligning communications and service design with real citizen behavior, leaders can improve program uptake, satisfaction, and trust while ensuring public resources deliver measurable impact.

What citizen behavior trends should governments monitor to improve public services?

To continuously improve services, governments must monitor behavioral trends such as digital adoption, service usage frequency, channel switching, and trust indicators. Public sector data analytics translate these behavioral signals into actionable insights that support ongoing policy evaluation. By tracking how different groups engage with services over time, leaders can adjust delivery models, communication strategies, and investment priorities. This evidence-based approach ensures public services evolve in line with real citizen behavior rather than static policy assumptions.

How do data-driven signals help predict demand for public services?

Data-driven signals such as service utilization patterns, demographic change, and feedback trends help governments anticipate demand before strain occurs. Evidence-based policy relies on these behavioral indicators to forecast where capacity, funding, or staffing adjustments are needed. Policy evaluation becomes more responsive when leaders use public sector data analytics to link demand signals directly to planning decisions, enabling smarter allocation of limited resources and more resilient service delivery.

How can citizen segmentation improve policy outcomes and targeting?

Citizen segmentation based on behavior allows public-sector organizations to move beyond broad demographic categories toward more precise policy targeting. Public sector data analytics classify citizens by needs, barriers, and engagement patterns, enabling tailored interventions that improve outcomes. Policy evaluation informed by these segments helps leaders identify which approaches work for specific groups, ensuring programs are both equitable and efficient. This evidence-based approach increases participation rates while improving the overall return on public investment.

What KPIs should public-sector executives track to monitor citizen behavior?

Effective public-sector performance management depends on KPIs that reflect citizen behavior, not just operational outputs. Key measures include service adoption, engagement depth, response timeliness, satisfaction, and participation persistence. Evidence-based policy uses these metrics to evaluate whether programs create real behavioral change. Policy evaluation tied to behavior-based KPIs enables continuous improvement, transparency, and accountable decision-making across public institutions.

How can behavioral data support more efficient public program delivery?

Behavioral data reveals where citizens encounter friction, underutilize services, or abandon processes altogether. Public sector data analytics convert these insights into operational improvements and inform policy evaluation. By identifying inefficiencies and redesigning programs around actual usage patterns, governments can reduce waste, improve uptake, and maximize outcomes—strengthening the credibility of evidence-based policy approaches.

How can communication strategies influence citizen actions and engagement?

Behaviorally informed communication strategies improve effectiveness by aligning messages with citizen context, motivation, and timing. Policy evaluation of outreach performance shows that targeted, behavior-aware messaging increases response and compliance rates. Evidence-based policy applies these learnings to optimize channels, content, and sequencing—building trust while driving measurable engagement.

How do governments identify underserved or disengaged populations using data?

Governments use public sector data analytics to examine patterns of low usage, drop-off, and unmet needs across services. Policy evaluation informed by these signals helps leaders distinguish between lack of awareness, access barriers, and trust deficits. Evidence-based policy ensures outreach and service redesign efforts are targeted where they can most effectively improve equity and participation.

How does real-time behavioral analytics improve public service delivery?

Real-time behavioral analytics enable public institutions to respond immediately to emerging service demand, disruptions, or engagement issues. Policy evaluation becomes more agile when leaders can act on live insights rather than historical reports. This supports evidence-based policy making by aligning decisions with current citizen behavior, improving responsiveness, satisfaction, and service reliability.

How is demand for digital government services evolving and how can it be measured?

Demand for digital government services continues to rise as citizens seek convenience and accessibility. Evidence-based policy relies on public sector data analytics to measure adoption, usage depth, satisfaction, and completion rates across digital channels. Policy evaluation grounded in these behavioral metrics allows leaders to prioritize digital investments that deliver real value while ensuring inclusive access across populations.