Public Opinion Research Unit

What Public Opinion Research Unit does

Public Opinion Research Unit (PORU) is a private research center founded in 2007 and embedded within the University of Macedonia Research Institute of Applied Social and Economic Sciences in Thessaloniki, Greece. The unit specializes in the design of survey instruments, sampling methodology, and end-to-end field research implementation, covering both quantitative methods (CATI telephone interviews, face-to-face questionnaires, internet surveys) and qualitative methods (focus groups, in-depth interviews). Data analysis is conducted using R, Python, and QGIS open-source software. PORU operates a Researchers' Registry (Μητρώο Ερευνητών) of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students from Greek universities who participate in field research activities, providing a scalable and cost-effective workforce.

The unit generates revenue through three principal streams: commissioned research project contracts with government agencies, international organizations, media outlets, and academic institutions; European Union funding through programs such as Interreg IPA CBC Greece-North Macedonia (the BeIN Project, MIS 5070751); and participation fees from the annual Summer School in Research and Computational Methods, which has featured instructors from Oxford, EUI, and Stanford. Notable recurring research products include the Real Estate Market Barometer (3rd edition in November 2024) and monthly trend tracking on Greek public opinion dating back to 2007.

PORU operates on a project-based, sales-led go-to-market motion combined with event-driven visibility through conferences, workshops, and media partnerships. Major customer engagements include ELIAMEP, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, iMEdD, DiaNeosis, Bodossaki Foundation, Onassis Cardiosurgery Center, and the National School of Public Health. The unit is led by Dr. Georgios Siakas, Director of Research and Associate Professor. It operates as a non-equity academic unit under the governance of the University of Macedonia, with no disclosed external investors, private equity ownership, or independent funding rounds.

Name

Public Opinion Research Unit

Legal name

Μονάδα Ερευνών Κοινής Γνώμης και Αγοράς του Ερευνητικού Πανεπιστημιακού Ινστιτούτου Εφαρμοσμένων Κοινωνικών και Οικονομικών Επιστημών του Πανεπιστημίου Μακεδονίας

Website

https://poru.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Public Opinion Research Unit (PORU) is a university-embedded research center at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki, Greece, founded in 2007, that designs and executes quantitative and qualitative public opinion and market research surveys for foundations, think tanks, EU programs, media organizations, and academic institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market and Social Research Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Sciences & Public Policy Research Universities (EDAHABAD), Conference Proceedings & Research Reports Publishing (EDAGAFAL)

Keywords

• Public opinion research
• Market research services
• Survey design
• Data collection
• Social research

Headquarters

HQ city

Thessaloníki

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Project Contracts: Commissioned research studies for external clients including government agencies, international organizations, media outlets, and academic institutions. Projects include public opinion polls, market research, and policy studies.
2. EU Project Funding: European funding through Interreg IPA CBC Greece-North Macedonia 2014-2020 (BeIN Project) supporting cross-border cooperation research initiatives. Budget of 63,500 EUR for specific deliverables.
3. Training Programs: Summer school programs in research and computational methods generating revenue through participation fees.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Public Opinion Research Unit (PORU) is an academic research unit that provides public opinion polling, market research, and social research services. The unit designs, implements, and analyzes surveys for academic, governmental, media, and corporate clients. It also operates specialized research projects (such as BeIN), maintains a researchers' registry, runs a real estate barometer, and offers training programs including a summer school.

Product overview

The Public Opinion Research Unit (PORU) at the University of Macedonia offers a unified portfolio of quantitative and qualitative public opinion research services, encompassing survey design, sampling, data collection, and analysis. The core offering comprises various survey methodologies (telephone, face-to-face, internet, focus groups, in-depth interviews) applied across diverse research topics. Supporting infrastructure includes the Researchers' Registry (Μητρώο Ερευνητών) for field research capacity, alongside specialized programs such as the BeIN Project for cross-border cooperation and the Summer School for methodological education. The unit also produces periodic barometer studies tracking public sentiment on key socioeconomic issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PORU Summer School: Annual summer school program in research and computational methods held in Thessaloniki

Products and services

• Public Opinion Research Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,058 participants surveyed for landmark electronic cigarette study in Attica
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• ELIAMEP (Ελληνικό Ίδρυμα Ευρωπαϊκής και Εξωτερικής Πολιτικής)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2024Collaborative partnership with ELIAMEP's Southeast Europe Program for conducting public opinion surveys on bilateral relations. Jointly conducted Greek-Albanian relations survey in April 2024 and Greece-North Macedonia naming dispute studies since 2018.
• Konrad Adenauer Stiftung - Greece and Cyprus OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2024Foundation providing support for Greek-Albanian public opinion research as part of the bilateral relations study collaboration. Contributed funding and institutional support for survey implementation.
• Interreg IPA CBC Greece - Republic of North Macedonia 2014-2020flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Major EU-funded cross-border cooperation program (MIS 5070751) implementing the BeIN (Business Eco-system as an integrated system) project. PORU serves as implementing partner responsible for research deliverables including e-library development, career digital hub, young leaders accelerator, and future trends workshop. Total project budget involves multiple work packages.
• iMEdD (International Media Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-governmental journalism organization commissioning public opinion research on journalism trust. Conducted two studies on trust in journalism: one among journalists and one among the general public.
• Onassis Cardiosurgery CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare institution partnering for electronic cigarette usage research study conducted in May 2017, analyzing usage patterns in Attica region with 4,058 participants.
• National School of Public HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution collaborating on public health research regarding electronic cigarette usage in Greece, contributing epidemiological expertise to the study.
• University of Patras - Pharmacy SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic pharmacy department contributing pharmaceutical and toxicology expertise to electronic cigarette research collaboration.
• DiaNeosiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreek think tank commissioning research on civil society and philanthropy in Greece. Study conducted January 2018 mapping citizen attitudes toward civil society organizations.
• Bodossaki Foundation (Ιδρυμα Μποδοσάκη)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreek foundation supporting civil society research through partnership with DiaNeosis on philanthropy mapping study.
• University of Goce DelchevcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMacedonian university partner in BeIN project consortium. Collaborated on youth empowerment forum in Strumnitsa (November 2023) targeting young people aged 21-30 for career development activities.
• University of OxfordminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrestigious university contributing instructors to PORU's Summer School in Research and Computational Methods, providing expertise in causal inference and research methods.
• European University Institute (EUI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean graduate school and research institute contributing faculty to the Summer School program in Thessaloniki.
• Stanford UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch university providing instructor for Summer School on innovative survey design and data analysis methods.
• iliaspapageorgiadis.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReal estate website commissioning periodic Real Estate Barometer surveys. Third edition conducted November 2024 measuring attitudes toward property market in Greece.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Public Issue: Athens-based public opinion and political research firm publishing regular barometers on Greek political and social attitudes; directly comparable as a recurring public opinion research producer in the Greek market.
• Focus Bari: Greek market and public opinion research firm operating CATI infrastructure and publishing regular opinion polls; directly comparable as a Greek-language public opinion research competitor targeting similar clients (media, foundations, corporates).
• Metron Analysis (MRB Hellas): One of Greece's largest market and social research companies, conducting political polling, media research, and consumer studies; closest direct peer in terms of methodology mix (CATI, F2F) and client segments.
• Pulse RC (formerly GPO): Greek public opinion and market research firm conducting regular political barometers and consumer studies; directly comparable as a Greek-language research competitor using similar methodologies for similar buyer personas.

Others

• DiaNeosis: Greek think tank producing social and economic policy research and a current PORU client (civil society mapping study); comparable as a policy-research producer in Greece and an indirect channel partner for PORU's research services.
• ELIAMEP (Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy): Greek policy think tank on European and foreign affairs; comparable as a Southeast European policy research producer and current PORU client/partner (Greek-Albanian relations study), making it both an adjacent research producer and a buyer of PORU's fieldwork services.

Broad incumbents

• GfK (now part of NielsenIQ) Greece: Global consumer and social research firm with Greek operations; comparable as a broad incumbent offering market and opinion research across the same client categories as PORU but at materially larger scale.
• Ipsos (Greece): Global market and opinion research firm with Greek operations providing social, political, and consumer research; broad incumbent competitor with overlapping methodologies and client types.
• Kantar (Greece): Global market research and public opinion firm with Greek operations; comparable in service offerings (CATI, panels, social research) but operates as a broad multinational incumbent rather than a specialized university-affiliated unit.

Regional players

• About People: Greek consumer and social research firm providing quantitative and qualitative research services; directly comparable as a domestic competitor offering similar survey methodologies and serving overlapping Greek client segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@publicopinionresearchunit-uom
• Facebookfacebook.com/ResearchUnitUoM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/public-opinion-research-unit-uom
• Instagraminstagram.com/researchunit_uom

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Public Opinion Research Unit