Roper Center for Public Opinion Research

What Roper Center for Public Opinion Research does

The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research is a non-profit academic research center founded in 1947 by pioneer pollster Elmo Roper and currently hosted at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, where it relocated from the University of Connecticut in 2015. It operates the world's largest archive of public opinion survey data, spanning 80+ years (1935-present) and including holdings from major U.S. pollsters and international partners such as HKU POP. The Center serves academic researchers, journalists, government agencies, policy organizations, and high school educators by providing structured access to historical and contemporary polling data.

The Center's core product is the Roper iPoll database, complemented by a suite of tools including the Presidential Approval Application, RoperExplorer, Campaign Weathervane, the 1980 Election Question Search, the Exit Polls Collection, the Health Polling Collection, and the Partner Search Software. It also offers the Taking America's Pulse course. The business model is built on institutional memberships sold to universities, research institutions, media organizations, and government entities, supplemented by the America's Voice Project which provides variable-pricing access for smaller organizations and free access for high schools. Cornell data conversion grants of up to $10,000 further integrate members into the Center's data workflows. The Center is governed by a board with additions in 2017 (Lopez, Musick, Schuldt) and operates with a lean staff of 18 employees supported by 100+ Cornell students, most recently launching the W.E.B. Du Bois Scholar Program with AAPOR in 2023 and adopting an AI Policy in November 2025.

Name

Roper Center for Public Opinion Research

Legal name

Roper Center for Public Opinion Research

Website

https://ropercenter.cornell.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, hosted at Cornell University, is a non-profit operating the world's largest archive of public opinion survey data (1935-present). It serves academic researchers, journalists, government agencies, and educators through institutional memberships and tools including Roper iPoll, RoperExplorer, and the Presidential Approval Application.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Opinion Research Data Archive

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)

Keywords

• Public opinion data
• Polling data archive
• Survey research data
• Election polling data
• Academic data archive

Headquarters

HQ city

Ithaca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Membership: Annual membership fees for academic institutions, research organizations, and other entities providing access to the iPoll database and archive services. Membership tiers based on institution type.
2. Data Services: Dataset access, custom data extraction, and analysis services for members and non-members. Includes variable pricing through America's Voice Project for smaller organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Roper Center operates the world's largest archive of US public opinion survey data, delivered through its flagship Roper iPoll database platform that provides question-level search, dataset retrieval, and trend analysis across 80+ years of polling. The Center collects, preserves, and disseminates polling data from major survey organizations, and sells institutional access to academic institutions, media organizations, government agencies, and other research entities. Supplemental offerings include the Presidential Approval Application, RoperExplorer analysis tool, Exit Polls and Health Polling Collections, and educational programs such as Taking America's Pulse.

Product overview

The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research operates as a data archive and research platform offering access to the world's largest collection of public opinion polling data. The core offering is the Roper iPoll database, supplemented by specialized tools including the Presidential Approval Application for tracking approval ratings, RoperExplorer for data visualization, and educational resources like the Campaign Weathervane and 1980 Election Question Search. The Center also maintains focused collections on exit polls and health polling, while offering the Partner Search Software for member institutions to manage their own archives. The Taking America's Pulse course represents an educational extension of these data resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Roper iPoll: The Roper Center's flagship platform for accessing public opinion data
• Roper Explorer
• Presidential Approval Application
• Campaign Weathervane
• 1980 Election Question Search
• W.E.B. Du Bois Scholar Program
• Mitofsky Graduate Research Fellows
• Kohut Research Scholar Program

Products and services

• Roper iPoll

Quantifiable outcome

• 2008 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title - iPOLL database rated 'Essential' by Choice reviewers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Joint partnership with AAPOR to launch the W.E.B. Du Bois Scholar Program in 2023, supporting diverse scholars in public opinion research. Combines Roper Center archive resources with AAPOR's professional network to cultivate diversity in the field.
• Cornell UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Host institution since 2015 when the Center relocated from University of Connecticut. Provides institutional infrastructure, student workforce, research collaboration opportunities, and grant programs including data conversion grants up to $10,000 for Cornell faculty and graduate students.
• Edison ResearchcoreTechnology or IntegrationEdison Research conducts U.S. Exit Polls on behalf of the National Election Pool (NEP) consortium. Roper Center archives these exit poll datasets as part of its election polling collection.
• National Election Pool (NEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium of major media organizations for election polling. Roper Center maintains comprehensive archive of NEP exit polls dating from 1990 through present, including restoration of 1990-2010 collection.
• NORC at the University of ChicagocoreTechnology or IntegrationMajor data provider contributing surveys to Roper Center archive. Partner in Taking America's Pulse course supporting survey sample recruitment. American National Election Studies (A NES) conducted by NORC are archived at Roper Center.
• Pew Research CentercoreTechnology or IntegrationMajor data provider with hundreds of surveys preserved in Roper Center archive. Recipient of 2026 Mitofsky Award (Scott Keeter). Collaborates on educational content including stats exercises using Pew datasets.
• Cornell Survey Research InstituteminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCollaborated with Taking America's Pulse course in 2014-2015 for student phone interviews. Provided methodological expertise and interviewing infrastructure.
• David M. Einhorn Center for Community EngagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in revised Taking America's Pulse course providing community engagement component, connecting students with community and nonprofit organizations for survey projects.
• Edison ResearchcoreTechnology or IntegrationEdison Research conducts U.S. Exit Polls on behalf of the National Election Pool (NEP) consortium. Roper Center archives these exit poll datasets as part of its election polling collection.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR): Professional society for public opinion and survey research. Strategic partner of Roper Center (joint W.E.B. Du Bois Scholar Program) and serves overlapping academic constituencies, but is a membership association rather than a data archive.

Broad incumbents

• YouGov: Global online polling and public opinion research company with significant academic and commercial research footprint. Overlaps with Roper Center in serving researchers and media needing public opinion data, but operates as a commercial panel-based platform.
• Gallup: Best-known polling brand with continuous US tracking polls since 1935. While commercially focused rather than academic, Gallup produces public opinion data that overlaps with Roper Center's holdings and serves similar media and policy customers.

Direct peers

• NORC at the University of Chicago: Independent research institution conducting major survey work including the American National Election Studies (ANES) archived at Roper Center. Both serve academic and policy research with primary survey data and methodological expertise.
• SSRS: Major survey research firm producing public opinion polls for media, academic, and policy clients. Direct peer in the public opinion research space, with comparable methodology and customer overlap with Roper Center's members.
• Harris Insights & Analytics: Legacy public opinion and market research firm with the Harris Poll, a continuous tracking survey since 1963. Comparable to Roper Center in serving media, academic, and policy research with public opinion data.
• Pew Research Center: Preeminent public opinion research organization producing major surveys on politics, media, and social trends. Roper Center archives hundreds of Pew surveys and is a close partner; both serve the academic, media, and policy research community with public opinion data.
• Marist Poll: University-based public opinion research institute producing nationally recognized polling. Comparable as an academic institution-affiliated pollster whose work is both housed in Roper Center and competes for the same academic and media audience.
• Edison Research: Conducts US National Election Pool exit polls and other major surveys. Direct partner whose exit poll datasets are archived at Roper Center, serving media, academic, and political research customers with public opinion data.
• Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR): University of Michigan-based social science data archive offering member institutions access to a vast collection of datasets. Closest direct peer as a competing academic data archive, with overlapping membership bases and similar subscription model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9SYW4TnNyLgdcqwOXMqCHA
• Facebookfacebook.com/RoperCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ropercenter

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 Roper Center for Public Opinion Research