What Levada Center does

Levada Center (Левада-Центр) is an independent, Moscow-based non-profit sociological research organization (ANO Levada-Center) established in 2003 by sociologists who previously led VCIOM under Yuri Levada. It focuses on sociology, political science, economics, psychology, marketing research, mass polling, and data analysis, conducting regular nationwide surveys on political approval, economic conditions, social attitudes, and international relations using representative samples across Russian regions.

The organization's core technology is its sociological research methodology — public opinion polling, face-to-face interviews, focus groups, longitudinal tracking, and a standardized omnibus survey instrument — together with a proprietary Indicators dashboard that tracks government approval, country-direction sentiment, socio-economic indicators, and attitudes toward foreign countries in near-real time. Its product portfolio includes the twice-yearly Bulletin of Public Opinion journal (issued since 1993), the annual Public Opinion compendium, expert analytical articles, press releases, the omnibus shared-cost survey, and custom commissioned research. The methodology has been continuously maintained since the 1990s, producing multi-decade time series on topics such as presidential approval and attitudes toward Western countries.

Levada monetizes primarily through commissioned research for government bodies, academic institutions, media organizations, and corporate clients, with pricing not publicly disclosed. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales of custom studies and omnibus participation with free publication of results via levada.ru, a weekly Saturday email newsletter, the official Telegram channel (@levada_center), and media placements in Forbes Russia, VTimes, and Fontanka. The organization is designated as a 'foreign agent' by the Russian Ministry of Justice since 2016, a status it publicly disputes and which has constrained some government-affiliated client relationships while reinforcing its positioning with independent media and international observers.

Name

Levada Center

Legal name

ANO Levada-Center

Website

https://levada.ru

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Levada Center (Левада-Центр) is a Moscow-based non-profit sociological research organization founded in 2003 that conducts nationwide public opinion polling on politics, economics, and society, serving media, government, academic, and corporate clients with longitudinal data, an Indicators dashboard, and a quarterly journal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sociological Research Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Syndicated Market Research (Panels, Omnibus, Tracker Studies) (MPAAALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ), Quantitative Research & Survey Analytics (Survey Design, Sampling, Statistical Modeling) (MPAAALAF), Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

Keywords

• Public opinion polling
• Sociological research services
• Political survey research
• Market research surveys
• Opinion data analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Moscow

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Levada Center conducts nationwide sociological research and public opinion polling in Russia, including mass polling on political, economic, and social topics. It offers commissioned custom research, shared-cost omnibus surveys, an annual Public Opinion compilation, and a twice-yearly Bulletin of Public Opinion journal, alongside real-time Indicators tracking government approval and social sentiment across Russian regions.

Product overview

Levada Center operates as a sociological research organization offering a unified portfolio of public opinion research services. The core offering consists of regular nationwide surveys conducted using consistent methodology since the 1990s, with results disseminated through multiple channels: the annual 'Public Opinion' compilation and the 'Bulletin of Public Opinion' journal (published twice yearly since 1993). The organization maintains a real-time 'Indicators' dashboard tracking government approval, economic sentiment, and geopolitical attitudes. Additional offerings include expert analytical articles, custom research services, and an omnibus shared-cost survey product. The research spans topics from political approval ratings to social satisfaction, economic conditions, and attitudes toward international relations. All publications are available in Russian.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bulletin of Public Opinion (Вестник общественного мнения) Academic journal published twice yearly since 1993, covering sociological research, analysis, and discussions on public opinion trends in Russia. Available in electronic format with archived issues.
• Annual Public Opinion Compilation (Ежегодный сборник «Общественное мнение»)

Quantifiable outcome

• Monthly approval tracking of Russian presidents and government institutions since the 1990s
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Gallup: Global polling incumbent with decades of longitudinal public opinion tracking across many countries, including historically in Russia. Comparable as a syndicated longitudinal polling brand and as a buyer-of-record for media and government research, though operating at much larger scale and across geographies.
• Ipsos: Global market research and public opinion firm with syndicated tracking studies and omnibus-style survey products. Comparable in its omnibus/shared-cost methodology and commissioned custom research delivery model, though at vastly larger scale and with a broader commercial portfolio.
• Kantar: Global research and data analytics firm with strong syndicated panel and tracking-study offerings. Comparable to Levada in its use of longitudinal panels and indicators-style dashboards, and in selling comparative cross-country datasets, though at much greater scale.

Regional players

• Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IS RAS): Russian academic sociology institute producing sociological research and publishing on Russian society and public opinion. Comparable as a domestic Russia-based producer of sociological research, though funded through academia rather than commissioned commercial research.

Emerging players

• Pew Research Center: US-based non-profit research organization conducting public opinion polling and longitudinal attitude tracking. Comparable as a non-profit, methodology-driven polling organization with strong international media citation profile, though operating in a different geography and political environment.
• World Values Survey: International academic network running cross-national longitudinal surveys on values and social attitudes, including in Russia (Levada is the Russian partner). Comparable in its longitudinal, cross-national survey methodology and academic/policy-research client base.

Others

• IFES: International non-profit supporting democratic processes, elections, and public opinion research globally. Comparable in its non-profit structure and public-opinion/electoral research methodology, though focused on electoral support and civic programs rather than longitudinal attitude tracking.

Direct peers

• ROMIR (Ромир): Russian market and sociological research firm running omnibus and consumer panel surveys. Comparable to Levada in its use of omnibus/shared-cost survey methodology and commissioned research services within the Russian market.
• FOM (Public Opinion Foundation / ФОМ): Russian polling organization running regular nationwide surveys on politics, economics, and social attitudes. FOM is a direct Russian-market competitor with overlapping media and commissioned-research clientele and broadly comparable methodology and deliverable structure to Levada.
• VCIOM (Russian Public Opinion Research Center / ВЦИОМ): Russia's other major national polling organization, conducting regular nationwide surveys on political, economic, and social topics with similar methodology to Levada. VCIOM is now state-affiliated and competes directly with Levada for media citations, commissioned research, and the remaining government-aligned buyer segment in Russia.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/levada_ru
• Facebookfacebook.com/levada.ru
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/levada-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Levada Center