Market Research Companies in Shanghai

Key figures for researchers

Resident population

24.85 million (end of 2025)¹

Local hukou holders

15.11 million of residents (end of 2025)¹

From other provinces

10.48 million, 42.1% of residents (2020 census)²

Districts

16, including Pudong New Area¹

Where residents live

central urban districts 26.9%, Pudong New Area 22.8% (5.68 million), suburban districts 50.3% (2020 census)³

Urban population

89.94% (Nov. 2025 sample survey)⁴

60 and over / 65 and over

27.58% / 20.81% (Nov. 2025 sample survey)⁴

Households

9.63 million family households, 2.24 people on average (Nov. 2025 sample survey)⁴

College education

9.12 million residents (Nov. 2025 sample survey)⁴

Economy

GDP of 5.67 trillion yuan, up 5.4% (2025)⁵

Research guide

Research landscape

Shanghai is one of the main bases of the research industry in China, with local agencies, offices of international networks, qualitative specialists, B2B and healthcare firms, panel providers and focus group facilities.

The city’s GDP reached 5.67 trillion yuan in 2025, up 5.4%. National rules on personal data, data transfers abroad and foreign-related surveys apply in full: see the China guide.

Who you will interview

Shanghai had 24.85 million residents at the end of 2025, of whom 15.11 million held a local hukou (household registration). At the 2020 census, 10.48 million residents, or 42.1%, came from other provinces, and their number grew by 16.7% in ten years. Hukou status, years in Shanghai and province of origin are therefore useful quota or profiling variables.

The population is old and highly educated: 27.58% of residents are 60 or over and 20.81% are 65 or over, and 9.12 million have a college education. Questionnaires are written in Simplified Chinese and administered in Putonghua (Mandarin). The local Shanghai dialect varies across five dialect areas; a moderator who speaks it can help with older, long-established residents.

Fieldwork in practice

The city has 16 districts. At the 2020 census, 26.9% of residents lived in the central urban districts, 22.8% in Pudong New Area (5.68 million people, the largest district) and 50.3% in the suburban districts, whose share is growing. A sample drawn only from the centre misses half of the population: spread interviews across central, Pudong and suburban districts.

89.94% of residents live in urban areas and households are small, with 2.24 people on average. Online surveys designed for smartphones are the usual choice for consumers; face-to-face interviews, central location tests or telephone help reach older residents, given that more than a quarter are 60 or over.

Focus groups and qualitative research

In-person focus groups and in-depth interviews are usually held in dedicated facilities with a one-way mirror and video streaming. Choose the location according to the target, and allow travel time for respondents from the suburban districts or Pudong.

Ask the agency for its Shanghai incentive levels and recruitment lead times, and how it checks that respondents match the profile (hukou, district, age). Online interviews and communities are widely used, alone or alongside in-person groups. For recordings and any transfer of video or personal data outside China, follow the PIPL rules described in the China guide.

Timing

Avoid Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), on 6 February in 2027: the official holiday lasted nine days in 2026 (15–23 February), and with 42.1% of residents from other provinces, many people leave the city to return home. Fieldwork slows for several weeks around the holiday.

Also avoid the National Day Golden Week (1–7 October) and the Labour Day break (1–5 May in 2026). Holidays are bridged with make-up working days on weekends (for example 20 September and 10 October 2026): check the State Council calendar before setting fieldwork dates.

Working with a Shanghai agency

• Share a clear brief: objectives, target, sample size, districts, method, languages and deadline.
• Ask how the agency spreads interviews across central districts, Pudong and the suburbs, and reaches older residents and people from other provinces.
• For focus groups, ask for the facility address, viewing room capacity, streaming options and incentive levels.
• Ask whether the agency holds a foreign-related survey licence and how personal data will be handled and transferred (see the China guide).
• Plan around Spring Festival, the May Day break and Golden Week.
• Compare several proposals: you can send one request to up to 5 Shanghai companies from this page.

National rules (data protection, holidays, sampling across regions) are covered in our guide to market research in China.