pew research center internet & technology

What pew research center internet & technology does

Pew Research Center Internet & Technology is the technology-focused research arm of Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy 501(c)(3) nonprofit fact tank headquartered at 901 E St. NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C. The Center conducts empirical research on how people use the internet, digital media, and emerging technology, covering topics including artificial intelligence, technology policy, social media, user demographics, mobile, and emerging technology. It operates as a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, which serves as its primary funder, with additional financial support from roughly 15 other named philanthropic partners including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, John Templeton Foundation, Neubauer Family Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Lilly Endowment, and the Ford Foundation.

The Center's core technology is survey research methodology rather than software products. Its proprietary infrastructure includes the American Trends Panel, a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults, along with multi-language survey capabilities (six languages for Asian American surveys and 12 languages for focus groups). Output formats include comprehensive reports, fact sheets, data essays, short reads, downloadable tools and datasets, and interactive quizzes such as the Political Typology Quiz and Digital Knowledge Quiz. Notable technical research outputs include surveys of 10,357 U.S. adults for political typology work and large-scale multi-language focus groups. Distribution is entirely free of charge and includes pewresearch.org (which holds 237 pages of Internet & Technology content alone), email newsletters (including the monthly Internet, Science, and Tech newsletter and a weekly newsletter), and active social media presence on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Bluesky, and Threads, augmented by RSS feeds and speaker engagements.

The business model is philanthropic rather than commercial: research is provided as a public good with no fees, subscriptions, or paywalls. The Center's primary customer segments are general public consumers, journalists and media organizations, policymakers and civic leaders, and academics and researchers, all of whom access the same free outputs. With more than 180 staff combining journalistic storytelling skills with social science rigor, the organization is led by president Michael Dimock (since October 2014) under a board chaired by Robert M. Groves of Georgetown University, with editorial independence from all funders guaranteed by structure.

Name

pew research center internet & technology

Legal name

Pew Research Center

Website

https://pewinternet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Pew Research Center Internet & Technology is the technology research arm of Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit that conducts empirical surveys on internet use, digital media, and emerging technology for journalists, policymakers, academics, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonpartisan Public Opinion Research

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Social & Digital Insights (Social Listening, Online Community Research) (MPAAALAK), EdTech & Digital Learning Policy Research (EDADADAK)

Keywords

• Public opinion research
• Survey research methodology
• Demographic research
• Internet usage studies
• Social science research

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Funding: Primary funding comes from The Pew Charitable Trusts (headquartered in Philadelphia) and other philanthropists and institutions. The organization is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. As documented in IRS Form 990, activities are largely funded through grants from The Pew Charitable Trusts. Research is provided free of charge to the public as a public good.
2. Partnerships and Grants: Strategic partnerships with philanthropists and institutional funders who share commitment to high-quality, fact-based research. Partnerships provide financial support and help expand scope of work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pew Research Center Internet & Technology conducts empirical, nonpartisan research on how people use the internet, digital media, and emerging technologies. It produces reports, fact sheets, data essays, short reads, interactive quizzes, downloadable datasets, and newsletters covering topics such as artificial intelligence, social media, mobile technology, technology policy, and user demographics, distributing all outputs free of charge to the public.

Product overview

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy research organization that produces publications, data essays, and research tools. The company offers a portfolio of research products including signature reports (such as the annual Teens, Social Media and Technology report), short reads, downloadable datasets, expert consultations, and interactive quizzes like the Political Typology and Digital Knowledge quizzes. The organization covers internet and technology topics through categories including artificial intelligence, technology policy, social media, emerging technology, user demographics, and mobile. Output is distributed via publications, email newsletters (such as the monthly Internet, Science, and Tech newsletter), and tools for researchers to access raw survey data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Publications (Reports, Fact Sheets, Data Essays) Research publications including comprehensive reports, fact sheets, and data essays covering topics such as artificial intelligence, technology policy, social media, mobile technology, and user demographics. Available free of charge to anyone.
• Short Reads Brief analytical summaries and key findings on current technology and internet-related topics, providing accessible insights for general audiences.
• Tools & Datasets Research tools and downloadable datasets enabling researchers, policymakers, and journalists to access and analyze Pew Research Center's survey data and findings.
• Experts Access to Pew Research Center subject matter experts who specialize in internet, technology, and social media research across various demographic groups, available for speaking engagements, panel discussions, briefings, and Q&A sessions.
• Internet, Science, and Tech Newsletter Monthly email newsletter delivering new findings on internet, science, and technology topics to subscribers.
• Political Typology Quiz Interactive quiz tool that classifies users into political typology groups based on responses to questions about political and cultural values.
• Digital Knowledge Quiz Quiz testing knowledge of digital topics including social media, internet usage, and technology-related subjects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research on topics like AI, social media, and data centers reaching millions of readers through the website and media coverage

Named customers4 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

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gallup: Gallup is the most established U.S. public opinion polling and research organization, conducting nationally representative surveys on politics, demographics, and social trends. It is the most direct functional peer to Pew Research Center in scope, methodology (large probability-based panels), and audience (journalists, policymakers, business).
• NORC at the University of Chicago: NORC is a university-affiliated, independent research organization conducting large-scale survey research, demographic studies, and social science research. It is highly comparable to Pew in its use of probability-based panel methodology (AmeriSpeak) and its focus on social science R&D for public and policy audiences.
• Morning Consult: Morning Consult is a digital-native research and polling firm that operates a large proprietary panel for public opinion, consumer, and policy research. It competes with Pew for media citations and policy audience attention, with a more technology-driven and faster-turnaround delivery model.
• YouGov: YouGov is a global online market research and polling company using registered panels for public opinion, politics, and consumer research. It directly competes with Pew in political polling and demographic research, with similar emphasis on data-driven insights published to public audiences.
• RAND Corporation: RAND is a large nonprofit research institution producing empirical research on policy, demographics, and social science topics. It is comparable in scale, nonprofit funding model, interdisciplinary staff, and policy-academic audience, though with a stronger focus on policy analysis and less on public opinion polling per se.
• Brookings Institution: Brookings is a major think tank producing nonpartisan empirical research on policy, demographics, and economics. It is comparable to Pew in nonprofit funding structure, policy/journalist audience, and emphasis on data-driven public-interest research, though it leans more toward policy prescription.
• Quinnipiac University Poll: The Quinnipiac University Poll conducts regular national public opinion polling on politics, social issues, and demographics, frequently cited in U.S. media. It is comparable to Pew in audience and methodology but with a narrower topical scope.
• Marist Poll: Marist Poll is a university-based polling organization conducting public opinion research on politics and social issues. Comparable to Pew in panel-based methodology, media citation, and demographic research focus, though smaller in scale and topical breadth.
• Edison Research: Edison Research conducts syndicated public opinion and media research, including exit polling and the Share of Ear audio research platform. It is comparable to Pew in syndicated research methodology and demographic/media audience studies.

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: Ipsos is one of the world's largest market research firms offering public opinion polling, syndicated research panels, and consumer insights. It overlaps with Pew in survey research and public opinion work but as part of a much broader commercial market research portfolio serving global enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pewresearch
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PewResearchCenter/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/pewresearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pew-research-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/pewresearch

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about pew research center internet & technology