National Center for Public Opinion Polls

The National Center for Public Opinion Polls is a national center specializing in public opinion polling in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and one of the initiatives of the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue. The center aims to support decision-making in government agencies based on impartial and credible results, according to a scientific methodology consistent with international practices. It is the first officially accredited center to conduct and implement public opinion polls in the Kingdom. Its headquarters is based in Riyadh City.

The center contributed to government policy- and decision-making through polls as about 411,000 male and female citizens participated in 360 polls, benefiting government entities, the private sector, and the non-profit sector, according to the latest statistic reported by the center's website as of January 2024.

The National Center for Public Opinion Polls attracts qualified national specialists in the fields of scientific research and public opinion polling to oversee polling processes and results, together with the formation of an advisory body composed of representatives of government entities, and a scientific committee comprising a number of Saudi academics specializing in this field.

The National Center for Public Opinion Polls aims to support the Kingdom's directions in disseminating the principles of dialogue, participation, and transparency; promote citizens’ participation in government policy- and decision-making; strengthen communication channels between community members, government entities, and civil society institutions; and provide reliable scientific findings and reports according to established scientific principles and standards, and correct practices in the application of public opinion polls on various issues of society; as well as contribute to the development and improvement of government programs and services.

The National Center for Public Opinion Polls provides two types of services; first: public polls, which are carried out periodically by the center on various issues and concerns of public interest in Saudi society, namely, recent issues monitored by the media and social media channels, or the opinions of pundits and experts on social, economic, educational, and other issues through specialized workshops and focus groups whose aim is to propose priority topics or issues. The center conducts an opinion polling regarding these issues to assess their scale and prevalence, and society's perspectives towards them in structured scientific ways.

The second type of the center's services is bespoke polls, which are carried out at the request and need of government agencies or civil society institutions wishing to benefit from polling services. These contribute to supporting policies, programs, development projects, and government services, and report the findings and results of these polls only to the beneficiary.