David Binder Research

What David Binder Research does

David Binder Research (DBR) is a privately held San Francisco–based public opinion research and consulting firm founded in 1994 by David Binder. The firm provides customized research services — including focus groups, in-depth and in-home interviews, phone surveys, dial testing, online research communities, control-treatment studies, heat map analysis, and statistical modeling — to political campaigns, federal/state/local government agencies, labor unions, advocacy and environmental organizations, and private sector corporations. Its service portfolio blends traditional qualitative methods (the firm's hallmark, with David Binder personally having moderated over 10,000 focus groups) with technology-enabled quantitative and experimental techniques, including predictive analytics for optimizing advertising and political messaging.

DBR's go-to-market is consultative and relationship-driven: engagements are scoped and priced per project, with multi-year partnerships in place with institutions such as the Democratic National Committee (currently supporting the Biden administration), Democratic campaign committees, and long-running labor and advocacy clients. The firm operates with approximately 10 named team members distributed across seven U.S. states, anchored by senior personnel with direct experience from the Obama 2008 and 2012 campaigns and the Obama White House. Notable client work has spanned presidential campaigns (Barack Obama 2008 and 2012), statewide and ballot proposition races across more than 15 states, the Let's Move anti-childhood obesity campaign, marriage equality campaigns in California, Maine, and Minnesota, and corporate engagements for firms including Microsoft, General Motors, Kaiser Permanente, and ESPN. Revenue is generated exclusively through direct, customized consulting engagements rather than through platforms, resellers, or self-service channels.

Name

David Binder Research

Legal name

David Binder Research

Website

https://db-research.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

David Binder Research is a San Francisco–based public opinion research and consulting firm that provides customized qualitative and quantitative research — including focus groups, online research communities, dial testing, and statistical analysis — to political campaigns, government agencies, labor unions, advocacy organizations, and major corporations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Opinion Research and Political Consulting

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

Keywords

• Public opinion research
• Political polling services
• Focus group moderation
• Qualitative quantitative research
• Voter message testing

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research and Consulting Services: DBR provides customized research services including focus groups, surveys, in-depth interviews, dial tests, online communities, and statistical analysis to political campaigns, government clients, advocacy organizations, and private sector companies. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting engagements and ongoing research partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

David Binder Research provides customized public opinion research and consulting services, combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies to political campaigns, government agencies, advocacy organizations, labor unions, and private sector clients. Its service portfolio includes focus groups, in-depth interviews, phone surveys, dial tests, online research communities, control-treatment studies, heat map analysis, and statistical analysis, delivered as project-based consulting engagements.

Product overview

David Binder Research operates as a unified research services firm offering an integrated suite of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. The portfolio centers on focus group moderation, online research communities, control-treatment studies, dial testing, phone surveys, in-home interviews, and advanced statistical analysis. These services are employed together to provide clients with comprehensive insight from initial qualitative exploration through quantitative validation, with the company's strength being its hybrid approach combining traditional research techniques with innovative technology-enabled methods. The firm primarily serves political campaigns, government clients, labor unions, advocacy organizations, and private sector businesses seeking to understand and influence public opinion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Focus Group Services Traditional and online qualitative research facilitated through focus groups, personally moderated by David Binder (who has moderated over ten thousand focus groups) and other DBR moderators, providing in-depth exploration of participant attitudes and opinions for political campaigns, government clients, and corporate customers.
• Online Research Communities Online research communities enabling continuous engagement with participant panels for qualitative insight collection, pioneered for use in the 2012 Obama presidential campaign as the first online research community in a presidential campaign context.
• Control-Treatment Studies Experimental research methodology that tests the differential impact of advertisements and messaging by comparing treatment groups exposed to specific content against control groups, used to measure advertisement effectiveness.
• Dial Testing Real-time audience reaction measurement in which participants use handheld devices to indicate their level of interest or engagement during presentations, political events, or advertisement screenings.
• Phone Survey Services Quantitative telephone survey research conducted to gather statistically representative data on public opinion, voting behavior, and consumer attitudes across defined target populations.
• In-Home Interview Research Qualitative research conducted in participants' homes to observe actual behaviors and television viewing habits in naturalistic settings, providing authentic context for understanding media consumption patterns.
• Statistical Analysis Services Advanced quantitative analysis of survey and experimental data to identify critical metrics determining outcomes such as vote choice, and to evaluate the effectiveness of campaign communications and advertisements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Determined most effective themes for Let's Move anti-childhood obesity campaign and maintained positive brand identity for Michelle Obama
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Democratic National CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDBR is currently working on behalf of the DNC to support the Biden administration. This represents a current, active partnership in political research and consulting.
• Barack Obama White HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDBR enjoyed a long-term research and consultation relationship with Barack Obama's White House and both of his presidential campaigns (2008 and 2012).
• Organizing for ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDBR has been the sole research and online testing facilitator for Organizing for Action since 2006, conducting focus groups, in-home interviews, dial tests, online communities, control-treatment tests, and phone surveys.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research: Progressive political and corporate research firm offering polling, focus groups, and strategic consulting. Comparable in methodology, clientele (Democratic campaigns, advocacy, corporate), and service mix.
• Anzalone Liszt Grove Research: Democratic-aligned political research and polling firm providing qualitative and quantitative research for campaigns, parties, and progressive organizations. Directly comparable in services offered and client base to DBR.
• Hart Research Associates: Democratic-leaning public opinion and survey research firm serving political campaigns, advocacy groups, labor unions, and corporate clients. Closely comparable methodology mix and clientele to DBR.
• Lake Research Partners: Democratic-affiliated research firm conducting polling, focus groups, and message testing for campaigns, foundations, and advocacy organizations. Highly comparable in client type and methodology.
• Benenson Strategy Group: Strategic research and consulting firm serving Democratic campaigns, corporate clients, and advocacy organizations. Comparable in offering political and corporate message testing with qualitative depth.
• Public Opinion Strategies: Republican-leaning political and corporate polling firm with comparable survey, focus group, and message-testing services. Mirrors DBR on the opposing political side and competes for similar corporate research work.
• ALG Research: Bipartisan public opinion research firm serving campaigns, ballot measures, unions, and corporations. Directly comparable in service offerings (polling, focus groups, message testing) and client overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos Public Affairs: Global market and public opinion research firm with a large public affairs practice serving governments, advocacy groups, and corporate clients. Overlaps with DBR in polling and message research at significantly larger scale.
• Pew Research Center: Major nonpartisan public opinion and demographic research organization producing large-scale surveys and analytical reports. Comparable research output used by similar political, media, and policy audiences.

Emerging players

• SS+K: Political and advocacy communications firm with embedded research capabilities serving Democratic campaigns and progressive causes. Comparable client roster and message-testing orientation, with broader communications services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/david-binder-research-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about David Binder Research