In the business of helping organizations to strategize, influence, and lead in their respective spaces, decisions often need to be made quickly. In this environment, opinion research can be a critical source of information, but to bring value, it must keep pace.
Quantitative research tools, namely surveys or polls, are often the first (or the only) tool considered for gathering intelligence about a key audience; this tendency is driven by perceptions of scientific rigour and a belief in the inherent value of data. But this way of measuring opinion, no matter how precise, can only take insights so far.
When decisions need to be made under pressure, qualitative methods can provide valuable insights quickly and effectively. Qualitative research is a credible, effective way to:
- Find directional insight
- Understand the range of opinion
- Clarify potential risks
So how do you know that qualitative research is the way to go? Here are some use cases to consider.
When the moment won’t wait: Sometimes new issues develop so quickly that it’s hard to even know what to ask. A survey developed under these conditions can easily miss the mark, and the moment. Qualitative research can indicate quickly how people are reacting to an emerging issue. You don’t need a thermometer to know if something is hot!
Potential approach: Identify the zeitgeist through virtual focus groups with the general public.
When you need feedback on the message: Messages only work when they resonate with the right people. Qualitative research is a time-tested way of learning how messages are interpreted by the sort of people who are supposed to receive them, and where they are misunderstood. With message testing, the task isn’t to count how many people like or don’t like a message, but to understand how people respond to it and why.
Potential approach: Test messages iteratively with asynchronous online discussion boards.
When specificity matters: Researchers are often asked to interpret data for very specific groups of people, but when there are only a few of those people to analyze in a dataset, survey data can’t say very much about them. When specificity is important, qualitative research gives us the means to focus precisely on the exact people we need to learn about in incredible depth. This is especially valuable when the audience is really niche, or very hard to reach.
Potential approach: Recruit executives for structured in-depth interviews.
When relationships are at stake: In situations that have become tense or fragile, stakeholder engagement is a way to find clarity and a safe path forward. Candid conversations provide an opportunity to pressure test potential strategies, illuminate where the risks are, and reinforce relationships with stakeholders by providing them with an open channel for honest feedback.
Potential approach: Design a stakeholder audit based on semi-structured in-depth interviews.
When you’re in unknown territory: When an issues landscape is poorly understood, decisions end up being based on assumptions instead of facts; this creates risk. Exploratory qualitative research can demystify a policy environment by uncovering how stakeholders understand the issue, where uncertainty exists, and what factors are shaping their views, enabling less risky decisions.
Potential approach: Combine methods, like exploratory focus groups with the public and in-depth stakeholder interviews, for a broad scan of the issues landscape.
When you’ve already done enough surveys: Quantitative research is valuable, and we do lots of it at Counsel, but sometimes there is a limit to what an organization can learn with surveys alone. Qualitative research is an excellent way to refresh or enhance a research program by adding depth of understanding to existing findings, or to carry research further by identifying lines of inquiry that are missing from previous work. Qualitative research can also be used to understand how core audiences are interacting with research, and what needs to happen to convert that gathered knowledge into real action.
Potential approach: A live workshop with those who use – or should be using – the research data.
In our line of work, advantage doesn’t come from having more data, it comes from the capacity to make good decisions. Qualitative research is an effective way to equip organizations and leaders with timely insights so they can leave assumptions behind and act with clarity under pressure.
Counsel’s Opinion Research team is ready to support your decision-making with effective, customized qualitative research approaches like focus groups, in-depth-interviews, stakeholder audits, moderated online discussions, and workshops. Reach out to discuss your information needs with us.