Public opinion research agency in Poland
Public and Social Research in Poland and Central Europe
Stratega conducts public opinion and social research across Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania. We support international research programmes, public institutions and development organisations with respondent recruitment, multilingual fieldwork, quantitative data collection and quality-controlled local delivery. Country components are executed to the programme's own sampling, translation and quality protocol, with documentation that reconciles centrally without rework.
What we answer
Fieldwork that holds up inside an international programme
Take a full study designed, executed and reported, or the country component of a programme run to an international specification. Either way the sample definition and the quality controls are agreed before fieldwork opens.
Country delivery inside international programmes
The Polish, Czech or Romanian component of a multi-country social survey, executed to the programme's own sampling, translation and quality protocol, with documentation that survives central checking.
Representative respondent recruitment
Nationwide and regional probability-style samples, screened and quota-controlled on the demographics a social study actually needs, including groups a general online panel systematically under-represents.
Quantitative data collection
CATI, CAPI, online and face-to-face interviewing across Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania, with interviewer briefing, supervision, recording and back-checking as standard rather than as an option.
Public institutions and development organisations
Research for state institutions, foundations, media and local government units, and for international organisations including the World Bank, the United Nations, European Union institutions and United Kingdom foreign affairs programmes, run to procurement and reporting requirements rather than to a marketing timetable.
Multilingual fieldwork and local adaptation
Translation review, cognitive checking and local adaptation of instruments, so that a question means the same thing in each market without breaking comparability with the source questionnaire.
Sampling, quality control and validation
Sample design support, quota and disposition reporting during fieldwork, interviewer supervision, back-checks, data validation and delivery in the programme's required format.
Methods: CATI research CAPI research Online surveys (CAWI) Face-to-face research Respondent recruitment International data collection In-depth interviews (IDIs) Expert interviews
Market perspective
Social Market Research In Poland
The Institute for market and public opinion research Stratega carries out social research on a representative nationwide sample and regional samples. We conduct social research for state institutions, foundations, media, local government units as well as companies and other entities interested in the opinions of Poles.
The classic social survey on a nationwide sample of adults is carried out on a sample of n = 1000 Poles with a statistical error of 3% and a confidence level of 95%. Public opinion polls carried out by the Stratega research agency team are based on one of the three classic research methodologies: CATI (telephone survey), CAPI (study with a tablet at the respondent's home) and online (online survey).
That work now sits alongside country delivery for international programmes, and the two have different failure modes. A national poll is judged on whether the sample represents the country. A country component inside a global programme is judged on whether the fieldwork can be reconciled centrally: whether dispositions were coded to the programme's standard, whether translation was reviewed rather than merely produced, whether interviewer supervision was documented, and whether the delivered file matches the specification without rework.
Both are getting harder for the same reason. Response rates in European comparative surveys fell by roughly 0.8 percentage points a year between 1999 and 2018, and the decline held regardless of sampling frame or mode. That is a fieldwork problem before it is an analysis problem, which is why the parts of this page that matter most are the ones about recruitment, supervision and validation.
Stratega's social research experience includes work for the World Bank, the United Nations, European Union institutions and United Kingdom foreign affairs programmes, alongside Polish public institutions, foundations, media and local government units. That work spans Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania, and it is the reason the operating model on this page is built around documented controls rather than assurances: an international client cannot inspect Polish fieldwork directly, so the documentation has to carry it.
2026 data review
Harder fieldwork,
higher documented standards
Published industry and methodological data show why a social research brief in 2026 has to state the response rate expectation and the disposition standard before fieldwork opens, not after.
Polish research agency revenue growth, 2024
Revenues of Polish research agencies grew 9.1% year on year in 2024, on the basis of 32 firms reporting in both years within the annual industry study run with ESOMAR. The public sector accounted for 4.8% of agency revenue, worth about PLN 45.7 million, down 1.6 percentage points on the previous year.
PTBRiO and ESOMAR industry analysis, published 30 September 2025Annual fall in European survey response rates
Across 753 national surveys in 36 European countries between 1999 and 2018, response rates fell by about 0.8 percentage points per year. Contact rates fell 4 to 5 points per decade and refusals rose about 0.3 points a year. The decline was not offset by sampling frame or by mode.
Jabkowski and Cichocki, Quality and Quantity, 21 October 2024Target response rate in the European Social Survey
The European Social Survey sets a minimum target response rate of 70%, a minimum effective achieved sample of 1,500, and a cap of 3% on non-contacts among eligible units. Round 12 fieldwork ran from September 2025 to May 2026 and is the first round to use a mixed-mode design.
European Social Survey, Round 11 survey specificationSources: PTBRiO and ESOMAR industry analysis, 30 September 2025; Jabkowski and Cichocki, Quality and Quantity, 21 October 2024; European Social Survey Round 11 survey specification.
Case study
A national component
inside a global programme
A selected example of Stratega fieldwork delivery for an international social survey.
Polish fieldwork for an international global survey programme
Stratega was responsible for the Polish component of a global social survey programme, with Gallup acting as the client. The Polish wave was delivered on a nationally representative sample of n = 1,000 adults, with respondent management, interviewing and delivery aligned to the international research framework.
The brief
A global survey programme runs the same core instrument across many countries so that results can be compared internationally. That places a particular demand on the national partner: the country component has to be delivered to the programme's own sampling, translation and quality protocol, in a form that can be reconciled centrally alongside every other country. Stratega was appointed to deliver the Polish component.
Stratega's role
Stratega was responsible for Polish fieldwork delivery: respondent management, interviewing, supervision and delivery aligned with the international framework. The Polish wave was fielded on a nationally representative sample of n = 1,000 adults, which is the sample size the programme specifies for a national component. The programme owner set the research design and retained ownership of the study; Stratega executed the national component within it.
A national sample of that size carries a statistical error of about 3% at a 95% confidence level, which is the standard on which the programme's country comparisons rest. Because the instrument is fielded in many countries in parallel, the Polish component had to match the programme's sampling approach and question order rather than a locally preferred design, so that the Polish result remained comparable with every other country in the wave.
Quality controls
Delivery inside an international programme stands or falls on the controls, because the central team has to be able to verify what happened in the field without having been there:
- Recruitment validation: eligibility and screening confirmed against the programme's definition rather than a local approximation.
- Interviewer supervision: briefing to the programme's protocol, monitored fieldwork and documented supervision.
- Back-checks and data checks: verification of completed interviews, and validation of the data file against the specification before delivery.
- Protocol compliance: dispositions, contact records and documentation kept in the form the programme requires, so the Polish component reconciles centrally without rework.
Coordination
Polish delivery was aligned to the international programme throughout: a single point of contact for the client, fieldwork progress and disposition reporting during the field period rather than only at the end, and agreed escalation where a local condition would otherwise have forced a deviation from the protocol.
Why it is relevant to a new brief
The same requirements apply to any organisation running a multi-country programme that needs a Polish, Czech or Romanian component: fieldwork executed to your design rather than ours, documentation that survives central checking, and honest reporting during the field period when a quota or a response target is at risk.
Sample design
We reach the people
a panel does not
Social research is judged on who is missing from the sample, not on who is in it.
Nationwide adult samples
Representative nationwide and regional samples of adults, quota-controlled on the demographics the study requires, with the mode chosen to match the population rather than the budget.
Under-covered and offline groups
Older respondents, rural households, lower-income groups and people who do not use online panels, reached by telephone or face to face where an online-only design would systematically exclude them.
Public institutions and expert stakeholders
Officials, local government, institutional and expert respondents, recruited individually where the study needs informed judgement rather than population opinion.
Cross-country samples in Central Europe
Matched samples in Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania, designed so that country results remain comparable while local adaptation is still possible.
Recruitment and quality
Documented controls,
not assurances
Falling response rates change what a fieldwork plan has to contain. A target response rate has to be stated before fieldwork opens, together with the disposition standard used to calculate it, the contact strategy, the number of call or visit attempts and the rule for when a case is closed. Agreeing those afterwards is how country components fail central reconciliation.
Our controls are the ordinary ones done properly: interviewers briefed to the programme's protocol rather than to a generic script, monitored and recorded interviewing, back-checks on completed interviews, disposition and quota reporting during the field period, and validation of the delivered file against the specification before it is sent. Where a target is at risk we say so during fieldwork, while there is still time to respond, rather than explaining it in the final report.
Multilingual fieldwork and translation review
Translation review and local adaptation of instruments in Polish, Czech and Romanian, checked for meaning rather than only for wording, so comparability with the source questionnaire survives.
Own recruitment team and panel
Stratega recruits with its own recruitment team and an established online panel, built over 15 years of screening every respondent type this sector needs rather than relying on a bought sample.
Data collection and fieldwork
CATI studio, online surveys, face-to-face and on-site interviewing, run by briefed teams and moderators with sector experience. Quota fill, response rates and interviewer performance are reported while fieldwork is open.
Reporting and full service research
From questionnaire and discussion guide through analysis to reporting. Stratega runs studies full service end to end, or executes the fieldwork alone to a client's own specification.
Multi-country research
Coordinating social research across Central Europe
This page covers public and social research in Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania. Where a programme spans more than one of these markets, Stratega runs coordination through a single point of contact, with one reporting structure and the same quality controls applied consistently in each country.
Coverage, languages, methods, sampling approach and quality control are confirmed per country before we quote for fieldwork.
Discuss a social research programmeCoverage
Market research
across Europe
Start from a country page for local context on cities, language, respondent groups and fieldwork. Multi-country studies keep one research question while still showing local decisions.
Testimonials
What clients say
Research professionals, agency directors and marketing teams Stratega has worked with across Central and Eastern Europe.
Excellent project management, great team
Working with the Stratega team was a very good experience and I would not hesitate to do it again. Excellent project management and attention to detail make them an ideal partner for any research project.
Great recruitment, great respondents
Stratega helped us recruit an online community across several markets and we were impressed by the quality of the respondents: real people with strong opinions. The insight we got was very deep and our client was extremely happy.
Outstanding execution and research quality
The Stratega team of experts delivered the data collection on time and to a high standard, providing exceptional client support. Their willingness to go beyond what was agreed at every stage was invaluable with so many stakeholders on our side.
Stratega New RFQ
Book a 30 minute call to scope the study
Use the Stratega New RFQ calendar to discuss a nationwide or regional social survey, the Polish, Czech or Romanian component of an international programme, feasibility on under-covered populations, or the right split between full service research and fieldwork only.
- 30 minutes with a team member
- Microsoft Teams
- No obligation
Calendly is the right route for a large, urgent or already awarded project. Direct email remains the normal way to send a request for proposal.
Direct route to the team
Email Hanna or Dariusz without filling in a form
People buying research are usually working to a deadline. Copy a direct address and send the market, the audience, the method, the timing, the sample and the deliverables in your own words. Hanna and Dariusz reply with a worked proposal within 24 hours on business days.
on business
days
Hanna Oleksyshyn
Helps international clients scope fieldwork, timing, recruitment and the fastest credible route to a proposal.
hanna.oleksyshyn@stratega.pl
Dariusz Baran
Supports international research enquiries, project scoping and practical fieldwork planning across European markets.
dariusz.baran@stratega.plFAQ
Frequently asked questions
How quickly will we get a proposal for social research?
We send proposals within 24 hours on business days. Email info@strategaresearch.com with your target market, audience, method, timing, sample and deliverables, and a researcher replies with a recommended approach, a feasibility view and a cost.
Can you deliver the country component of an international programme?
Yes, and it is a large part of what we do. We execute the Polish, Czech or Romanian component to the programme's own sampling, translation and quality protocol, keep dispositions and contact records in the form the programme requires, report progress during the field period, and validate the delivered file against the specification before sending it.
Who do you work with on public and social research?
Polish state institutions, foundations, media and local government units, and international organisations including the World Bank, the United Nations, European Union institutions and United Kingdom foreign affairs programmes. Much of the international work is country delivery: Stratega executes the Polish, Czech or Romanian component inside a wider programme rather than owning the programme itself.
Which countries do you cover for social research?
Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania, with local teams and local language capability in each market. Where a programme spans more than one, coordination runs through a single point of contact with one reporting structure and the same controls applied consistently.
What methods do you use for public opinion research?
CATI telephone interviewing, CAPI face-to-face interviewing with tablets, online surveys and face-to-face fieldwork, chosen to match the population rather than the budget. A nationwide adult sample of n = 1000 gives a statistical error of about 3% at a 95% confidence level.
How do you handle falling response rates?
By treating the response rate as a design parameter rather than an outcome. The target rate, the disposition standard used to calculate it, the contact strategy, the number of attempts and the rule for closing a case are agreed before fieldwork opens, and progress against them is reported during the field period so that a shortfall can be addressed while there is still time.
Can you reach people who are not on online panels?
Yes, and for most social research it is necessary. Older respondents, rural households and lower-income groups are systematically under-represented in online panels, so those studies are run by telephone or face to face, or as a mixed-mode design where the modes are documented and reconciled rather than silently combined.
Send your brief straight to our team
Email us at info@strategaresearch.com and include your target market, audience, method, timing, sample and deliverables. We reply within one business day with scope, feasibility and an itemised cost.