Infas Institute for Applied Social Sciences

What Infas Institute for Applied Social Sciences does

Infas Institute for Applied Social Sciences (infas Institut für angewandte Sozialwissenschaft GmbH) is a private, independent social-research institute headquartered in Bonn, Germany, founded in 1959 and operating as a subsidiary of Frankfurt-listed infas Holding AG. It is self-described as the largest commercial research institute with a social-science focus in Germany and ranks among the top 10 largest empirical research organizations in the country, employing approximately 200 in-house staff and a trained field network of more than 1,600 interviewers.

The institute delivers commissioned empirical research across labor, education, mobility, health, security, and family domains using multi-mode survey methodologies — face-to-face (F2F), CAWI (online), CASI (tablet-based self-interview), telephone (CATI), and postal — combined under mixed-mode designs. Its core technical assets are an extensive panel portfolio including the Sozio-oekonomisches Panel (SOEP, ~32,000 respondents annually), the Deutscher Alterssurvey (DEAS, 30 years of data), AID:A, NEPS, FReDA, PASS, Twinlife, lidA, ReGES, and the Knowledge-Panel jointly operated with Ipsos. Its proprietary methodology Blended-Calibration combines probability and non-probability samples for population representation. Certifications include ISO 20252 and memberships in ADM and ESOMAR.

Revenue is generated through project-based contracts with German federal ministries (BMAS, BMBF, BMDV), federal agencies (BKA, RKI), Leibniz research institutes (DZA, DJI, IAB), the European Commission, and selected private-sector clients (Continental, KfW, BVG). Pricing is custom per project, typically structured as multi-year contracts. The institute has offices in Bonn (headquarters), Berlin, and Contern (Luxembourg), and is currently undergoing an announced merger with Ipsos, with leadership transition completed in January 2026.

Name

Infas Institute for Applied Social Sciences

Legal name

infas Institut für angewandte Sozialwissenschaft GmbH

Website

https://infas.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Infas Institute for Applied Social Sciences is a Bonn-based private social research institute, founded 1959, that conducts commissioned multi-mode surveys and longitudinal panel studies (SOEP, DEAS, MiD) for German federal ministries, agencies, research institutions, and select private-sector clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social and Market Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Policy, Regulatory & Public Affairs Research (BPAHALAF)

Keywords

• Social research services
• Market research
• Survey methodology
• Panel studies
• Empirical research

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Contracts and Survey Services: infas generates revenue through commissioned research projects for government agencies, scientific institutions, and private sector clients. Projects include national and international customized studies in areas such as labor market, education, transport research, panel studies, evaluations, and market analyses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Infas Institute for Applied Social Sciences is a private, independent social research institute that conducts empirical research and provides consulting for government, academia, and the private sector. It delivers commissioned national and international studies using multi-mode survey methods (F2F, CAWI, CASI, telephone, postal) and manages a portfolio of long-running panel studies covering labor, education, mobility, health, and social conditions. Its service offerings include study design, questionnaire development, multi-mode data collection, statistical analysis, and reporting for clients such as federal ministries, research institutions, and corporations.

Product overview

Infas Institute for Applied Social Sciences is a private and independent social research institute that conducts research and provides consulting for companies, academia, and government. The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio of survey research services including multiple survey methodologies (Face-to-Face, CAWI, CASI, telephone, and postal surveys), and manages an extensive portfolio of panel studies including the flagship Sozio-oekonomisches Panel (SOEP), AID:A, KiBS, DaLi, INSIDE, ERiK, CLS, TAEPS, PASS, FReDA, DEAS, NEPS, Twinlife, ReGES, and lidA. Their specialized offerings include the Knowledge-Panel (developed with Ipsos using random sampling), the Blended-Calibration methodology combining probability and non-probability samples, and the Lagemaß publication series. The institute conducts national surveys such as Mobilität in Deutschland (MiD) and SKiD crime surveys, and operates specialized expertise centers covering education, family, inequality, health, labor, mobility, environment, regional research, survey methodology, and statistics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Knowledge-Panel
• Sozio-oekonomisches Panel (SOEP)
• Mobilität in Deutschland (MiD)
• SKiD - Sicherheit und Kriminalität in Deutschland
• DEAS - Deutscher Alterssurvey (German Ageing Survey)
• AID:A - Aufwachsen in Deutschland: Alltagswelten
• NEPS - Bildungsverläufe in Deutschland (National Educational Panel Study)
• Startchancen-Programm Evaluation
• Custom Empirical Research and Survey Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 118,433 interviews conducted in 2025 with 6.8 million interview minutes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered parent company, major and sibling company.

• infas Holding AGparent companyOthersinfas is a subsidiary of infas Holding AG, a publicly listed company on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The holding company encompasses additional companies in market and opinion research and related fields.
• IpsosmajorStrategic or Co-development Partnerinfas operates a Knowledge Panel jointly with Ipsos, an exclusively offline-recruited scientific survey panel with tens of thousands of participants based on random samples for reliable, projectable results.
• infas 360sibling companyOthersSister company specializing in Smart Research, Customer Analytics and Geomarketing.
• infas quosibling companyOthersSister company providing full service market research.
• infas LTsibling companyOthersSister company providing digital maps and consulting, provider of Easymap.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Gallup: Global analytics and advisory firm with deep public-opinion polling and panel research heritage. Comparable to infas in methodology, longitudinal studies, and policy research engagements.
• NielsenIQ (NIQ): Global consumer intelligence firm (incorporating former GfK operations). Overlaps with infas in market research, retail/consumer panel work, and mobility-adjacent measurement for enterprise clients.
• Kantar: Global research powerhouse (formed from TNS, including TNS Infratest which has deep German social-research heritage). Competes with infas for large-scale government and enterprise research contracts across Europe.

Emerging players

• YouGov: Global online survey and public opinion research firm with active German operations. Competes with infas in public opinion polling and consumer research through an asset-light, panel-based model.
• Civey: Berlin-based digital market and opinion research firm using large online panels for German government and enterprise clients. Represents the digital-first, lower-cost competitive alternative to infas's F2F-heavy model.

Direct peers

• Ipsos: Global market and social research firm and infas's announced merger partner. Co-develops the Knowledge-Panel with infas and directly overlaps in policy research, panel methodology, and EU-wide commissioned studies.
• GESIS – Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften: Germany's leading academic social science infrastructure institute. Operates ALLBUS and European infrastructure panels; partner/competitor with infas on national survey programs such as NEPS.
• forsa Gesellschaft für Sozialforschung und statistische Analysen: German market and social research institute with comparable methodology portfolio (telephone, online, F2F panels) and similar government/political-client base, including regular political polling for German media.

Regional players

• ifo Institut – Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung: Munich-based economic research institute that conducts its own survey work (e.g., ifo Business Climate). Indirect competitor/collaborator for infas in economic and policy-related survey mandates in Germany.

Others

• SAQ – Sampleheadquartered Market Research: Slot reserved — German and European research ecosystem also includes DIW Berlin (SOEP scientific lead, working closely with infas) and smaller specialist institutes such as infas quo, IMK, and ZEW that overlap in social/economic survey design.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xxing.com/pages/infasinstitutfurangewandtesozialwissenschaftgmbh
• Facebookfacebook.com/infasInstitut
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/infas-institut-f%C3%BCr-angewandte-sozialwissenschaft-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/infas_institut/?hl=de

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Infas Institute for Applied Social Sciences