Russian Public Opinion Research Center

What Russian Public Opinion Research Center does

Russian Public Opinion Research Center (JSC «VCIOM»), founded in 1987 and headquartered in Moscow, is Russia's primary public opinion research organization. The firm provides survey design, data collection, statistical analysis, and ongoing tracking of political, electoral, and social attitudes across Russia, the CIS region, and selected international markets including China, India, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan. Its portfolio spans nine service lines — from federal and regional government research to business, media, communication agencies, politicians, lawyers, non-profits, and international clients — anchored by the flagship "VCIOM-Sputnik" regular polling product and complemented by analytical tools such as the "Emotional Tonometer" (launched January 2026) and "Russia's Global Image" (launched 2026). The organization publishes monthly political trust and electoral ratings (e.g., Putin trust at 76.7%, United Russia at 33.8% as of June 2026) and maintains an academic research journal.

VCIOM generates revenue primarily through commissioned professional research services under a sales-led go-to-market model. Three core revenue streams are documented: government research contracts (including direct commissions from the Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs), corporate market research, and media/communication-agency polling. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and appears to be contract-based. The firm operates as a JSC with apparent state-linked governance — its leadership comprises General Director Valery Fedorov and Director on Government Relations Kirill Rodin — and benefits from privileged access to official Russian government research mandates, positioning it as the authoritative polling source cited by major international media including Reuters, France24, and the Financial Times. The organization employs 11-50 staff, operates from a single Moscow office, and has no disclosed private equity, venture capital, or public-market backing.

Name

Russian Public Opinion Research Center

Legal name

Russian Public Opinion Research Center (JSC «VCIOM»)

Website

https://wciom.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VCIOM is Russia's primary public opinion research center, founded in 1987 and headquartered in Moscow. It provides survey design, polling, and analytical tools to federal and regional government, businesses, media, and international clients across the CIS, China, and India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Moscow

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Research Contracts: Commissioned studies from federal and regional government bodies, including the Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, to conduct public opinion research on policy effectiveness and social trends
2. Business Sector Research: Custom research services provided to private businesses and corporations seeking market intelligence and consumer sentiment data
3. Media and Communication Agency Research: Polling and research services for media outlets and communication agencies requiring audience insights and reputation tracking

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) conducts public opinion polling, survey research, and electoral ratings for government, business, media, and international clients. The company operates a regular polling product (VCIOM-Sputnik), specialized indices and dashboards (such as Russia's Global Image and Emotional Tonometer), and delivers tailored custom research studies segmented by client type (federal government, regional government, businesses, media, politicians, lawyers, communication agencies, and non-profits).

Product overview

VCIOM (Russian Public Opinion Research Center) operates as a public opinion research organization offering a comprehensive suite of survey and research products. The portfolio includes core polling products (VCIOM-Sputnik) for ongoing public opinion tracking, specialized research services segmented by client type (business, government at federal and regional levels, media, politicians, lawyers, non-profits, and communication agencies), international research capabilities, and analytical tools. Notable products include political trust ratings and electoral party ratings for tracking public sentiment toward political figures and institutions, Russia's global image tool for international perception analysis, and the emotional tonometer for societal psychological assessment. The company also provides methodological services including research methods, geographic coverage, and quality control. VCIOM publishes its findings through its own journal and provides ratings on politics, government approval, and state institution performance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VCIOM-Sputnik
• Russia's Global Image
• Emotional Tonometer Index measuring the emotional state and mood of the Russian population based on periodic survey data, used by media and policy clients to track public sentiment trends.
• Custom Research Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Trust in Putin at 76.7% as of June 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Russia Ministry for Foreign AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Russia's Ministry for Foreign Affairs commissioned VCIOM in July 2025 to conduct studies evaluating the effectiveness of Russian-language promotion measures in Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, China, and India. This represents a significant government partnership for assessing Russia's linguistic and cultural soft power initiatives abroad.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ipsos: Global market research and public opinion firm offering polling, consumer insights, and brand tracking. Closely comparable to VCIOM's Research to Business and audience measurement offerings, though with broader international footprint.
• Gallup: Global public opinion polling and analytics firm with political ratings, trust indices, and survey research comparable to VCIOM-Sputnik. Differentiated by global scale, methodological reputation, and broad commercial client base.
• Pew Research Center: Nonpartisan research organization conducting public opinion polling, social research, and international surveys. Highly comparable methodological approach to VCIOM, though positioned as independent/nonprofit rather than commercial.
• Levada Center: Russia's other major independent-leaning public opinion research center, conducting political polling, social research, and consumer sentiment studies in Russia. Closest domestic competitor to VCIOM in methodology, products, and target clients.
• YouGov: International online market research and polling firm offering consumer sentiment, brand tracking, and political polling. Comparable to VCIOM's commercial research and audience measurement products.
• Public Opinion Foundation (FOM): Russian public opinion research foundation offering political polling, electoral ratings, and sociological surveys. Direct competitor to VCIOM in the Russian federal polling market with comparable methodology and clients.

Regional players

• Mediascope: Russian media and audience research company measuring TV, radio, and digital consumption. Comparable to VCIOM's media audience research offerings within Russia, focused on media measurement rather than political polling.

Emerging players

• WCIOM-Analytics / Russian Field (similar regional players): Smaller Russian opinion research firm conducting political and social polling. Comparable in domestic polling scope to VCIOM but with a narrower client base and limited international capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Kantar: Global market research and insights firm offering consumer research, brand tracking, and audience measurement. Broader portfolio than VCIOM but overlapping in the market research and consumer insights categories.
• Nielsen: Global audience measurement and consumer intelligence firm. Comparable to VCIOM in media audience research and reputation tracking products, but with a much wider data and analytics portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vciom

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Russian Public Opinion Research Center