Allensbach Institute

Founded in 1947 by political scientist Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann and journalist the Allensbach Institute was the first public opinion research institute in Germany, depending primarily on the sale of market research studies for financing. and was contracted by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1950 to carry out monthly surveys of domestic public opinion. == Activities ==

The Allensbach Institute conducts market, media and social research, as well as political opinion research, to "radio listening and newspaper reading habits" to support for a European monetary union and economic and monetary union. Deborah Ascher Barnstone, in a study of transparency in politics and architecture in Germany, asserted that the range of subjects covered by the Allensbach Institute makes it "an excellent source for information on the [German] general populace". The institute is known for its annual New Year survey of the "state of the German soul" as commentator David Marsh, citing some 2012 and comparative results, termed it. {{cite news | author = Marsh, David | title = Why does Germany feel so good about itself? | url = http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-does-germany-feel-so-good-about-itself-2012-02-13 | work = MarketWatch | date = 2012-02-13 | accessdate = 2012-02-13 The institute employs roughly one hundred full-time employees, including about 25 scientists, and two thousand avocational interviewers, and conducts approximately one hundred surveys and 80,000 interviews yearly. Although the institute conducts surveys primarily of German public opinion, it has participated in or carried out multiple "international opinion research projects". == See also ==