What Beacon Research, LLC does

Beacon Research, LLC is a Boston-based quantitative and qualitative research firm providing polling, focus group, and strategic advisory services to political campaigns, corporations, nonprofits, foundations, and advocacy organizations. The firm was founded in 2010 by Chris Anderson as the successor to Anderson Robbins Research, and is jointly led by Anderson and Co-Founder Matthew Shelter, each with two to three decades of public opinion research experience. Beacon Research conducts work at federal, state, and local levels across the United States, with documented projects in at least 11 states plus national polls, and serves as the Democratic polling partner for the Fox News Poll alongside Republican partner Shaw & Company Research.

The firm's core product suite spans telephone surveys, online surveys, mixed-mode surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews, customized for each client engagement with hands-on senior executive involvement. In 2025, Beacon Research introduced AI conversational survey capabilities through a technology partnership with CloudResearch's Engage platform, enabling open-ended qualitative responses at scale; the methodology was presented at the 2026 AAPOR Annual Conference. The firm's research is delivered through project-based professional services engagements priced on quote, with long-term retainer-style relationships with multiple marquee clients including Fox News, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the ACLU of Massachusetts, and senior political campaigns at the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate levels.

Beacon Research operates as an independent private LLC with no disclosed funding, parent company, or acquisition activity. The seven-person team is concentrated in Boston with Henry Kanter as Vice President of Operations, Terry Classen as Director of Research, and Sarah Tower-Richardi as Director of Operations supporting two senior analyst and junior analyst roles. Go-to-market is relationship-driven direct sales, with client acquisition supported by a content marketing presence including the firm's blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, conference presentations, and earned media through Fox News appearances.

Name

Beacon Research, LLC

Legal name

Beacon Research, LLC

Website

https://beaconresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Beacon Research is a Boston-based quantitative and qualitative research firm providing polling, focus group, and strategic advisory services to political campaigns, corporations, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations, with a flagship partnership operating the Fox News Poll.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Polling and Public Opinion Research

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE), Audience Measurement & Media Research (Ratings, Attribution, Media Mix Insights) (MPAAALAM), Social & Digital Insights (Social Listening, Online Community Research) (MPAAALAK)

Keywords

• Political polling services
• Public opinion research
• Market research surveys
• Focus group research
• Advocacy campaign research

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Political Campaign Research Services: Provides polling and focus group research to political candidates at all levels from mayor to president. Revenue generated through project-based fees for survey research, message testing, and strategic advisory services.
2. Corporate Research Services: Conducts market research, internal research, and public opinion research for corporations. Projects include healthcare surveys, consumer sentiment studies, and employee engagement research.
3. Advocacy and Nonprofit Research: Provides polling and focus group research for ballot initiatives, advocacy campaigns, labor unions, and nonprofits on public policy issues including healthcare, environment, and civil rights.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Beacon Research provides rigorous quantitative and qualitative polling and research services to political candidates (from local to presidential races), nonprofits, ballot initiatives, corporations, foundations, and advocacy organizations. The firm conducts telephone, online, and mixed-mode surveys along with focus groups and in-depth interviews, applying live-interviewer and AI conversational survey methodologies to deliver voter sentiment, market research, and public opinion insights.

Product overview

Beacon Research provides a comprehensive suite of research services centered on quantitative and qualitative polling methodologies. The core offerings include political polling (from local races to presidential campaigns), corporate market research, and issue/advocacy research for ballot initiatives. The company pairs traditional methodologies (telephone, online, and mixed-mode surveys; focus groups; in-depth interviews) with AI-powered conversational survey technology to deliver both statistical rigor and qualitative depth. The flagship Fox News Poll partnership represents their most prominent public-facing research product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Political Polling Services Rigorous quantitative and qualitative polling for political candidates at all levels, from local office to presidential campaigns, leveraging an outside-the-Beltway perspective. Services include voter sentiment research, message testing, and strategic advisory.
• Issue & Advocacy Research Polling and focus group research for ballot initiatives and public policy campaigns covering health care, public education, environment, LGBTQ rights, gun safety, transportation, and other issues facing advocacy groups, labor unions, nonprofits, and businesses.
• Corporate Market Research Market, internal, and public opinion research for companies conducting thought-provoking, insightful surveys translated into effective marketing and communications campaigns and employee engagement.
• Quantitative Survey Research Telephone, online, and mixed-mode survey methodologies designed and executed with rigorous quality control standards, including live-interviewer polling using professional interviewers calling voters on landlines and cellphones.
• Qualitative Research Services Focus groups and in-depth interviews conducted by experienced moderators, specializing in qualitative research for understanding voter and consumer attitudes.
• Fox News Poll National polling partnership with Shaw & Company Research conducting the Fox News Poll since 2011, earning an 'A' rating from FiveThirtyEight for accuracy. The poll is a highly scrutinized national poll with bipartisan credibility.

Quantifiable outcome

• 86% accuracy predicting winners in 2017 off-year elections using gold standard methodology vs 39% for robo polls
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 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

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.

• CloudResearchcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Technology partnership for AI conversational surveys using CloudResearch's Engage platform. Collaboration presented at AAPOR 2026 conference on study of 661 likely NYC voters demonstrating AI survey capabilities for political research.
• Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & InstituteflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Since 2018, conducts annual bipartisan national survey on defense and national security attitudes for the Reagan Institute's yearly Reagan National Defense Forum. The Reagan National Defense Survey (now in its sixth year in 2023) surveys over 2,500 US adults on defense spending, Ukraine/Israel aid, and China relations.
• Shaw & Company ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term bipartisan polling partnership with Republican firm Shaw & Company Research. Together conduct the Fox News Poll since 2011. Also partner on Reagan National Defense Survey and Walton Family Foundation education research. The Democratic-Republican partnership has produced highly accurate polling results.
• Fox NewscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2011, Beacon Research has been the Democratic polling partner for Fox News Channel's polling operation. The Fox News Poll is a highly scrutinized national poll with earned 'A' rating from FiveThirtyEight. Chris Anderson serves on the Fox News election night decision team.
• ACLU of MassachusettsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-term research partner for over a decade on social justice issues including privacy, drug policy, criminal justice reform, voter education, and face recognition surveillance moratorium campaigns.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of MassachusettsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-term client conducting dozens of healthcare research studies including annual surveys on healthcare costs and concerns of Massachusetts residents.
• Northwind ClimatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the research arm of Northwind Climate, helping create psychographic models predicting consumer purchasing decisions better than traditional demographics. Conducts ongoing consumer research, message testing and segmentation modeling with exclusive climate focus.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Marist Poll: University-based public opinion poll recognized for high-accuracy national and state-level election polling — comparable methodology and reputation for accuracy, with a similar mix of political, corporate, and media clients.
• Public Opinion Strategies: Republican-leaning political polling and research firm founded in 1991, known for campaign and advocacy research across federal, state, and local races — directly mirrors Beacon's political polling practice from the opposite partisan vantage.
• Hart Research Associates: Long-established Democratic polling firm doing survey research, message testing, and focus groups for campaigns, labor, and advocacy organizations — comparable in methodology (live-interviewer, mixed-mode), client base, and election-cycle focus.
• SurveyUSA: Polling firm known for state-level political polling and market research using interactive voice response and mixed-mode methods; competes with Beacon for state political and corporate research engagements.
• GBAO: Democratic-aligned strategic research firm providing polling, message testing, and advocacy research for campaigns and nonprofits; comparable scale and focus on progressive political clients, making it a direct peer for Beacon's Democratic polling work.
• Fabrizio, Lee & Associates: Republican polling firm specializing in campaign research for federal and state-level races; comparable scale and methodology to Beacon and Shaw & Company, including similar Senate and gubernatorial clientele.
• Shaw & Company Research: Republican polling firm co-conducting the Fox News Poll with Beacon Research since 2011; virtually identical methodology, client mix, and political cycle exposure, making it the closest structural peer and operating partner.

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos Public Affairs: Global market research and public affairs firm offering syndicated political polling, corporate research, and advocacy studies at much larger scale; competes for the same Fortune 500 corporate clients and high-profile campaign engagements.
• Pew Research Center: Nonpartisan fact tank producing high-credibility public opinion research on politics, media, and social trends — overlaps with Beacon on methodology and accuracy reputation, but operates at much larger scale and with nonprofit/grant funding.

Emerging players

• Morning Consult: Technology-driven research company running high-velocity brand tracking, public opinion polling, and political research with proprietary panel infrastructure; overlaps with Beacon on political and corporate survey work but competes via scale and recurring syndicated products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Beacon_Research
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/beacon-research-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Beacon Research, LLC