Market research and opinion polling in China

Market research and opinion polling in China has been conducted by several Chinese and Joint-Venture companies since Chinese economic reforms and market opening of the 1980s.

## Market research

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Prior to the 1980s the China Academy of Social Sciences used some research techniques but there were no market research companies. Following inward investment and economic opening by 1998 there were 850 registered companies, both Chinese and Joint-Ventures, conducting market research in China.[1] Initially the main customers for market research in the 1990s were MNEs.[2] The scope of research remains restricted and regulated.[3][4][5][6][7]

The Chinese Private Enterprise Survey has surveyed thousands of entrepreneurs from every province since 1993.[8]: 27

## Opinion polling

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Most market research is purely commercial, however one notable example of a commercial survey firm which also conducts general public opinion polls is Horizon Research (also known by its Chinese name Lingdian).[9] Horizon's survey results are often reported in the Chinese media, and referenced in some discussions of public policy.[10][11]

## References

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1. ^ Elisabeth Croll China's New Consumers: Social Development and Domestic Demand 2006 "By 1998, the number of registered companies conducting market research in China, both local start-ups and foreign-joint-ventures, had risen from virtually zero to close on 850.107 Nevertheless conducting market research using techniques ..."
2. ^ Ilan Alon Chinese Economic Transition and International Marketing Strategy 2003 "MNEs spend more on market research in China and, therefore, are assumed to be leaner and more effective rather than skimping on the scope of research carried out."
3. ^ Charles A. Pigott - China in the World Economy: The Domestic Policy Challenges Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2002 "Moreover, China's law regulating market research in China requires research projects to be approved by the government in advance, and their findings reported to the ...
4. ^ Birgit Zinzius Doing Business in the New China: A Handbook and Guide 2004 - Page 166 Market Research in China
5. ^ Business Success in China 2006 -- Page 153 "History of Market Research in China : Does consulting and in particular market research have a history in China? There is one and there is none. In Chinese culture there have never been paid consulting services like we know of in the West."
6. ^ Jonathan Reuvid, Li Yong Doing Business with China 2006 - Page 369 "Industrial market research Is it possible to do industrial market research in China? The intricacies of China's industrial operations and the complexities of its socio-economic environment have caused international market researchers to ...
7. ^ Tim Ambler, Morgen Witzel, Chao Xi, Morgen Witzel Doing Business in China - Page 23- 2008 (see Chapter 8 for more on market research in China).
8. ^ Marquis, Christopher; Qiao, Kunyuan (2022). Mao and Markets: The Communist Roots of Chinese Enterprise. Kunyuan Qiao. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-26883-6. OCLC 1348572572.
9. ^ Florian Schneider Visual Political Communication in Popular Chinese Television 2012 "a third institution that produces ratings data is the Horizon Research Consultancy Group (Lingdian diaocha gongsi 零点调查公司); however, this enterprise primarily ..."
10. ^ Wenfang Tang -Public Opinion and Political Change in China 2005 - Page 38 " One successful example of a commercial survey firm is Horizon (Lingdian), a private public-opinion and market-research firm. Its survey results are frequently quoted by the Chinese media in public policy discussions."
11. ^ Suzanne Ogden Inklings of Democracy in China 2002- Page 388 "... a privately owned and operated company, is a good example of a major Chinese firm that conducts market research for enterprises and public opinion polling on major social issues in China. According to its founder, Yuan Yue, Lingdian and ..."