The 3 Main Pillars
Kieskompas Used to Build a Powerful
Research Panel

Kieskompas was founded in 2006 as a voting advice application. Each election season, it became a trusted tool for hundreds of thousands of voters. It made headlines, shaped public debate, and drew the attention of politicians.

But once the elections were over? Everything came to a halt.

“When you make a Voting Advice Application in the Netherlands, you need a Dutch team. But when you do it in Germany, you need a German team.”

This setup turned Kieskompas into a highly project-driven organization, dependent on political calendars, national teams, and short bursts of intense activity.

The core challenge was clear: how to evolve from a high-impact, low-frequency tool into a platform that operates year-round, not just during election season.

Achieving long-term sustainability meant more than upgrading the technology. It required a smarter, more strategic approach.

What we did:

• Sampling techniques: Representative research panels

• Data weighting: Balanced and reliable insights

• Efficient processing: Faster large-scale analysis

So what do you do when you have hundreds of thousands of people actively using your voting tool, engaged, reflective, and thinking critically about the future of their country, but only for a few weeks every election cycle?

You don’t let that momentum go to waste. You turn it into something bigger.

“When life gives you voters, you build a panel.”

Kieskompas realized they were sitting on one of the most valuable resources in research: people who want to be heard. So they made a subtle but powerful shift – from delivering answers to asking for continued participation.

At the end of every Voting Advice Application (VAA), fully anonymous by design, users are asked just one question:

"Would you like to participate in our research?"

And many say yes.

Why it works:

• It’s completely voluntary. No pressure, no incentives.

• It appears at the perfect moment, right after users reflect on their values and political alignment.

• It’s built on trust. Kieskompas is already a respected name in public debate

That single question, shown on a single screen, became the most pivotal moment of the entire experience. What was once the start of the user journey turned into the start of a lasting relationship.

But this wasn’t just a business model change. It was a full transformation in process, technology, and mindset.