Center for Insights in Survey Research (CISR)

Research and Public Opinion Data

Qualitative and quantitative public opinion data and research is a cornerstone of IRI’s approach to programming – putting citizens’ voices at the center of the political debate and our projects’ goals. Since 1998, IRI has polled more than 1.5 million citizens through more than 1,000 polls in over 100 countries. IRI has carried out polling and survey research programs in some of the world’s most challenging environments – from former Communist bloc countries following the fall of the Soviet Union to Iraq following the fall of Saddam Hussein.

View All CISR Polls

IRI’s research approach integrates CISR’s methodological polling best practices protocols and field partner in-depth knowledge of the local research environment. This close collaboration begins at project design, with carefully calibrated sampling and instrument development, and continues throughout the entire fieldwork cycle to ensure the collection of reliable qualitative and quantitative data.

After undergoing extensive quality control checks, the data is used to produce sound analysis, provide rich and actionable insights to decision makers, and inform public policy and strategy. IRI strives to empower local stakeholders to perform customized analysis on polling data to “slice and dice” datapoints according to their individual information needs. In addition to publishing comprehensive charts, we design easy-to-use interactive dashboards that allow users to filter and cross tabulate data.

Putting Data to Work for Citizens and Governments

The availability of reliable information is vital to a functioning democracy, as it allows for governments and citizens to interact constructively to address problems requiring political solutions. IRI’s quantitative and qualitative research informs politicians, citizen groups, and other stakeholders of the currents of public opinion so that they can respond in an effective manner.

While IRI relies on face-to-face interviews in the vast majority of countries we survey, we also use more novel methodologies such as phone interviews and even online surveys where feasible to access populations that are more difficult to reach. IRI has also collaborated with the French think tank Fondapol on the a global online survey gauging attitudes towards democracy in over 40 countries.

In authoritarian and transitioning countries, polling has enabled us to identify the areas of greatest need or opportunities to engage in programming that will help citizens advance democratic norms in their own countries.