What Populace does

Populace is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) think tank founded in 2013 and headquartered at 200 Summit Drive, Burlington, Massachusetts. The organization was co-founded by Parisa Rouhani (President) and Todd Rose (CEO), both Harvard-trained social scientists, with the stated mission of building a world where individuals can live fulfilling lives in a thriving society. Populace's core work is original private opinion research: it designs and conducts nationally representative surveys using proprietary methodologies — most notably list experiments and choice-based conjoint (CBC) analysis — that are intended to protect respondent privacy and reduce social desirability bias when measuring sensitive topics.

The research portfolio spans eight major studies, including the Social Pressure Index (19,000+ responses across 66 sensitive issues), the Success Index (conducted with Gallup), the Purpose of Education Index, the American Workforce Index, the American Aspirations Index, the American Priorities for Higher Education study, and The Honesty Project (a flagship collaboration with The Free Press). Outputs are distributed as free downloadable PDF reports and amplified through media partnerships; the underlying concept — "collective illusions," popularized by CEO Todd Rose's best-selling book of the same name — frames the gap between publicly stated and privately held beliefs.

Populace serves a horizontal set of end users: federal, state, and local policymakers; K-12 and higher education administrators; corporate leaders and HR professionals; journalists; and the general public. The organization is a nonprofit and does not sell its research; revenue (amount undisclosed) is generated through research grants and strategic partnerships. Distribution relies on direct website downloads and media partnerships, with The Free Press serving as the flagship channel for reaching a broad audience. The board includes alumni from Harvard, Stanford, Google, McKinsey, and Levi Strauss, providing operational and analytical depth.

Name

Populace

Legal name

Populace

Website

https://populace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Populace is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) think tank founded in 2013 that conducts proprietary private opinion research using list experiments and conjoint analysis to reveal gaps between Americans' public statements and private beliefs, serving policymakers, educators, business leaders, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Science Research

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Audience Measurement & Media Research (Ratings, Attribution, Media Mix Insights) (MPAAALAM), Qualitative Research (Focus Groups, IDIs, Ethnography) (MPAAALAE)

Keywords

• Private opinion research
• Nonpartisan think tank
• Public opinion surveys
• Social research reports
• Policy research insights

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

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

Revenue model

1. Nonprofit Operations: Populace is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Revenue generation is not the primary focus; instead, the organization operates through research grants, partnerships, and public engagement to advance its mission of understanding and promoting individual fulfillment in society.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Populace is a 501(c)3 nonprofit think tank that conducts private opinion research to surface the gap between what people say publicly and what they actually believe privately. The organization publishes free, downloadable research reports using proprietary survey methodologies such as list experiments and conjoint analysis. Its work is aimed at policymakers, educators, business leaders, and the general public seeking a more honest understanding of American attitudes.

Product overview

Populace is a non-partisan think tank offering a portfolio of private opinion research studies and reports. The company's offerings consist of multiple research publications including the Social Pressure Index, Success Index, Purpose of Education Index, American Workforce Index, American Aspirations Index, and American Priorities for Higher Education. These reports use proprietary private opinion research methodologies, including list experiments and choice-based conjoint analysis, to reveal gaps between what Americans publicly state and what they privately believe. The company also partners with The Free Press on The Honesty Project. These are downloadable PDF research reports rather than software products or platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• A Return to Normalcy (Research Report) Free downloadable research report from Populace applying its private opinion methodology to characterize American attitudes and the gap between public and private beliefs. Intended for policymakers, educators, business leaders, journalists, and the general public.
• Private Opinion Research Reports (Ongoing Series) Ongoing series of free downloadable research reports that apply Populace's proprietary list experiment and conjoint analysis methodologies to surface the gap between what Americans say publicly and what they believe privately. Targeted at policymakers, educators, business leaders, and the general public.

Quantifiable outcome

• 61% of Americans admit to having self-silenced in the last year
• +2 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• The Free PressflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Free Press partnership for 'The Honesty Project' represents Populace's flagship collaborative research initiative. Populace designs and conducts the research on private vs. public opinion gaps, while The Free Press reports on the findings. This partnership focuses on tracking where public and private opinion diverge on America's most sensitive questions including political violence, national pride, election integrity, and perceptions of America as a force for good.
• GallupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPopulace partnered with Gallup to conduct the inaugural Success Index, a first-of-its-kind nationally representative study to understand what 'success' truly means to Americans. This partnership leveraged Gallup's research infrastructure and methodology expertise combined with Populace's focus on private opinion research.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gallup: Gallup is the best-known U.S. public opinion and analytics firm, conducting nationally representative surveys on politics, workplace, and well-being. Gallup is both a direct competitor in opinion research and an existing Populace partner on the Success Index.
• More in Common: More in Common is a research and advocacy organization that studies polarization, division, and 'hidden tribes' across democracies. Its focus on attitudinal segmentation and bridging divides closely mirrors Populace's preference-falsification and 'collective illusions' research agenda.
• Pew Research Center: Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, and studies on social trends and media. Like Populace, it produces large-sample national surveys on American attitudes, though Pew's scope is broader and its brand is far more established.
• Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI): PRRI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that conducts public opinion polling on the intersection of religion, culture, and politics in America. Its survey-based approach and focus on sensitive cultural topics closely align with Populace's mission.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: NORC is an independent research institution at the University of Chicago conducting large-scale national surveys (e.g., the General Social Survey) and methodological work on sensitive topics. It is a direct comparator for Populace's nationally representative, methodology-driven approach.

Broad incumbents

• Cato Institute: Cato is a libertarian-leaning public policy think tank conducting research on economic and social policy. While ideologically distinct from Populace's nonpartisan stance, it is a relevant peer in the think tank category producing research intended to influence policy and public opinion.
• Brookings Institution: Brookings is a large, established public policy think tank producing research across economics, education, and foreign policy. It overlaps with Populace on education and workforce research but operates at far greater scale and with a broader policy mandate.
• RAND Corporation: RAND is a large research institution that conducts policy analysis across education, labor, health, and national security. It intersects with Populace on workforce and education research, but as a much larger, multi-disciplinary operation rather than an opinion-research specialist.
• Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center: The Shorenstein Center researches media, politics, and public opinion, with strong emphasis on press and democracy. Its academic affiliation and focus on how Americans form views parallel Populace's interest in preference falsification and collective illusions.

Others

• The Free Press: The Free Press is an independent media outlet and Populace's flagship media partner for The Honesty Project. It is not a research competitor but a distribution and editorial collaborator that amplifies Populace's findings to a large consumer audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/populaceorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Populace