Environics Research Group was founded by Michael Adams in 1970 while he was a post-graduate student at the University of Toronto. The company's early beginnings were focused on public opinion polling providing important constituent information to government bodies so that they could effectively develop programs to meet their needs.

The main syndicated research tools used to understand public opinion were the FOCUS CANADA and FOCUS ONTARIO reports as well as the FOCUS QUEBEC report during elections and referenda.

In the early 1980's, Environics moved to more comprehensive coverage of issues oriented toward the private sector. Environics became affiliated with the international consortium called Socioconsult, and in association with the Quebec polling firm CROP Inc., began conducting a yearly evaluation of social change in Canada known as the 3SC Social Values Monitor. This study was expanded to the U.S. in the early 1990's. Through Socioconsult, Environics has forged relationships with the European markets as well. The social values methodology of tracking consumer values has its greatest application in providing insight to marketing issues in the private sector. Other tools developed in the 1980's to address Canadian private and public sector needs were the Environmental Monitor and the Energy Monitor given the importance of these issue sat that time. In recognition of the changing composition of Canadian society, an Ethnic Market Study was launched in 1990. Throughout Environics' history, custom studies (both quantitative and qualitative) and omnibus research surveys using a wide variety of methodologies have been conducted to address specific client issues.

With headquarters in Toronto, Environics has offices and affiliates in Ottawa, Calgary (Environics West) and Montreal (CROP Inc.). Our European partners are in Paris (Socioconsult International), Heidelberg (SINUS), Milan (GPF & Associati) and London (MORI).