Institute of Public Opinion and Research - IPOR

What Institute of Public Opinion and Research - IPOR does

IPOR (Institute of Public Opinion and Research) is a privately held Malawian research organization headquartered in Zomba, founded in 2014 as a partnership between two scholars at Chancellor College, University of Malawi, and legally registered under the Business Names Registration Act (Cap.46:02) on 10 November 2014. It specializes in nationally representative surveys, social science research, advisory, and consulting services, with a core proposition centered on producing high-quality, trusted opinion data for clients in government, international development, academia, and civil society.

Operationally, IPOR conducts large-scale household surveys using multistage stratified sampling drawn from the National Statistical Office's 2018 census frame, covering 27 of Malawi's 28 districts across North (13%), Central (44%), and South (43%) regions, with samples of 2,400 adult Malawians per survey and a ±2% margin of error. Its product set includes opinion surveys, marketing research, policy briefs, quarterly newsletters, seminar presentations, internal capacity building sessions, and administration of the Edward Chiwayula Trust scholarship program. The underlying technology stack is conventional survey research methodology and social science data collection; there is no proprietary software, API, or AI/ML capability disclosed.

IPOR's business model is project-based professional services: contracts are won through direct engagement, proposals, and bidding for research mandates, with pricing not publicly disclosed. Primary customer segments are Government and Public Sector and International Development Organizations (Afrobarometer, USAID, World Bank, OSISA, Tiltonse Foundation), with secondary segments in academia and civil society. The organization, at 43 employees, monetizes its senior academic leadership, district-wide field network, and established methodology to deliver recurrent survey cycles — most visibly the pre- and post-election research for Malawi's 2025 general elections.

Name

Institute of Public Opinion and Research - IPOR

Legal name

Institute of Public Opinion and Research (IPOR)

Website

https://ipormw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IPOR is a Malawi-based research organization in Zomba, founded in 2014, that conducts nationally representative surveys, social science research, and advisory services for government agencies, international donors, academic institutions, and civil society, with 43 employees and a ±2% margin of error on surveys covering 27 of 28 districts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zomba

HQ country

Malawi

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research and Survey Services: IPOR generates revenue through conducting opinion surveys, marketing research, and social science research projects for clients. The organization provides advisory and consulting services based on research findings.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IPOR conducts nationally representative opinion surveys, social science research, and marketing research, and provides advisory and consulting services based on its findings. Its work spans pre- and post-election polling, governance and democracy studies, and policy briefs designed to support evidence-based decision-making for government, international donors, NGOs, and academic clients across Malawi.

Product overview

The Institute of Public Opinion and Research (IPOR) is a research organization offering a suite of survey-based and advisory services. Its core offerings include opinion surveys and marketing research services, complemented by research outputs such as policy briefs, newsletters, and seminar presentations. The organization also provides capacity building training sessions and administers the Edward Chiwayula Trust scholarship program for University of Malawi students. The portfolio is organized as service offerings rather than a software platform, with each product focused on generating and disseminating social science research data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Edward Chiwayula Trust: A memorial trust fund established in 2016 to provide scholarships to University of Malawi students, named after late enumerator Edward Chiwayula who passed away in 2016.

Products and services

• Opinion Surveys Nationally representative opinion surveys including pre- and post-election surveys, opinion polling, and citizen perspectives research, designed to produce high-quality, trusted data with a ±2% margin of error for government, donors, and academic clients.
• Marketing Research Market research services and social science research that provide data-driven insights to clients, delivered as project-based consulting engagements.
• Policy Advisory and Consulting Services High-quality advisory and consulting services grounded in independent research, designed to produce new knowledge and transformative insights as the basis for innovative and practical policy interventions that promote the well-being of societies.
• Edward Chiwayula Trust Scholarship Program A memorial scholarship program administered by IPOR that provides scholarships to University of Malawi students, named after the late enumerator Edward Chiwayula.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

38 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• University of GothenburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the Governance and Local Development (GLD) Project alongside IPOR and Chr. Michelsen Institute. IPOR's Senior Partner Dr. Boniface Dulani has academic ties through supervised research.
• University of Notre DamecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner supporting research initiatives. Listed among key institutional partners with Pulte Institute for Global Development collaboration.
• Chr. Michelsen InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the Governance and Local Development (GLD) Project alongside IPOR and University of Gothenburg.
• AfrobarometercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner conducting pan-African, Afrobarometer surveys on democracy, governance, and quality of life across African countries including Malawi.
• World BankmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational financial institution partner for development research and data initiatives in Malawi.
• Basel Institute on GovernancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in governance research, listed among IPOR's institutional partners.
• University of IllinoisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution partner with collaborative research ties.
• UCL (University College London)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner for governance and development studies.
• Overseas Development Institute (ODI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational development think tank partner for research collaboration.
• National Democratic Institute (NDI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational nonprofit organization partnering on democratic governance research.
• FHI 360minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal health and development organization partner for research initiatives.
• William & MaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution partner listed among IPOR's institutional collaborators.
• EGAP (Evidence in Governance and Politics)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch network partner focused on governance and political research.
• University of MalawicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome institution and founding partner. IPOR is based at Chancellor College, University of Malawi. Founders are scholars from this institution.
• University of OslominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for research collaboration.
• University of BergenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian academic partner for research collaboration.
• LSHTM (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution partner for health and social research.
• NYU Abu DhabiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for research collaboration.
• Ohio State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution partner for research collaboration.
• University of Cape TownminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution partner for African research collaboration.
• University of the Western CapeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in South Africa for research collaboration.
• Girls Not BridesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization partner for research on women's issues and child marriage.
• Malawi Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment body partner for local governance research.
• International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institute partner for development and policy research.
• Democracy InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for democratic governance research.
• Democracy WorksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for civic engagement and democracy work.
• Malawi NATCOMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational communication partner in Malawi.
• Development GatewayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for development data and technology initiatives.
• MeiruminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization listed among IPOR's collaborators.
• ACDI (African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for democracy and human rights studies.
• GOPA ConsultantsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsulting partner for development projects.
• Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch organization partner for justice and peace research.
• YASMWminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth and social movement partner organization.
• Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD Ghana)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional think tank partner for democratic development research.
• Centre for Evaluation and Development (C4ED)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for evaluation and development studies.
• Hatchile ConsultminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal consulting partner for research projects.
• ACBMW (African Centre for Democracy Studies)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner for democracy and governance research.
• NiceMWminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner organization in Malawi.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA): Research and policy nonprofit running rigorous impact evaluations and surveys in developing countries. Comparable clients and donor ecosystem, with deeper randomized-evaluation capability than IPOR.
• GeoPoll: Mobile-first survey platform operating across Africa. Targets overlapping clients (development organizations, multilaterals) with faster, lower-cost surveys, representing a methodological alternative to IPOR's in-person fieldwork.

Direct peers

• Afrobarometer: Pan-African survey network conducting democracy, governance, and quality-of-life research across 30+ African countries. IPOR is itself an Afrobarometer partner, making it the most directly comparable peer in scope and methodology.
• Twaweza: East African (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda) civic-information and citizen-monitoring organization running citizen surveys and governance assessments. Directly comparable mission and multi-country African footprint.
• Research ICT Africa: African research network conducting policy-oriented surveys on ICT, governance, and development. Comparable multi-method research portfolio serving similar donor and academic clients.
• Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD Ghana): Ghanaian think tank conducting governance, election, and public opinion research in West Africa. Listed by IPOR as an institutional partner; comparable in mission, methodology, and donor ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: Global market research and public opinion firm. Overlaps with IPOR's marketing-research and public-opinion service lines but with vastly broader commercial-client reach.
• Pew Research Center: Large U.S.-based public opinion and survey research organization. Operates globally with a far broader mandate, but is the benchmark for rigorous public-opinion methodology that IPOR's work aspires to.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: Major U.S.-based independent research institution executing large-scale survey programs in the U.S. and internationally. Operates at far greater scale but uses comparable face-to-face survey methodology.

Regional players

• Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA): Tanzanian policy-research organization conducting socioeconomic and governance surveys in East Africa. Closely comparable in mission, donor base, and survey-based service offerings even though geographically adjacent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IPORMalawi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-of-public-opinion-and-research-ipor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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