Four Ways to Make Inclusive Research Lead to More Accurate Insights

Key Takeaways:

• Ensure people with disabilities can participate.
• Incorporate multiple language options.
• Choose research modes that reach your audience.
• Grow & train a research team with inclusivity in mind.

  ---

Market and opinion researchers have long been the champions of inclusivity. It is fundamental to our role to provide clients with a representative view of any given population's demographics, geography, and psychographics. But the barriers to collecting representative data are high. The gap between DIY surveys and professional research is significant. Research firms possess diverse tools and expertise to collect accurate, representative data that far surpass basic survey methods.

This guide can be used as a checklist for organizations that need accurate and defensible consumer, B2B, employee, market, member, and public opinion research.

Accessibility

Making research accessible isn’t for show—it's critical to being inclusive, which leads to greater accuracy. Section 508 compliance is a federal requirement that ensures online platforms are accessible to people with disabilities, including visual, auditory, and mobility impairments. Even if you think your brand, organization, product, or service is not relevant to people with disabilities, think again for two reasons.

First, according to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 30% of Americans have a disability of some kind. Second, everyone lives on a continuum. People who are healthy, fully mobile, and have no disabilities today, are many of the millions of people that will need assistance tomorrow. No one is immune to the impacts of age and accidents.

When research is conducted online, ensure that you are accommodating all kinds of respondents. Prioritize using accessible data collection tools.

Multilingual

Most Americans speak English. So you might think that there is no need to conduct research in other languages. However, more than two in ten Americans speak another language at home. The largest group is Spanish speakers, with more than 40 million.

And in some places there are high concentrations of people who speak Chinese (San Francisco Bay Area), Vietnamese (Houston), and Hmong (Twin Cities). It is almost never about a lack of English skills, it’s about participation rates and sensitivity to your audience. If people are comfortable, they are more willing to share. And that means greater accuracy.

Consider how adding language options will allow your research to better penetrate your audience. And always use professional, native-speaking professional translators.

Multiple Modes of Data Collection

Most market research is conducted using online research panels—people who have signed up to complete surveys and get points that can lead to money or prizes. This technique is highly cost effective and broadly yields useful results. If you are a national brand trying to understand how consumers feel about a new packaging concept, panels can be a useful starting point.

There are, however, big holes that online panels cannot fill. For example, there are still some people who do not engage online regularly. The best way to reach them is by phone, mail or in-person intercept. These modes are much more expensive, so many organizations choose to ignore them and miss out on valuable feedback from certain demographics.

Consider the ideal mode(s) for data collection for each project.

Organization-Wide Focus on Diversity and Belonging

Researchers, whatever their motivation—whether it’s an overt commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion or just striving for accuracy (or both)—should know how to be respectful and responsive to all communities. There is great value in having a research team with unique lived experiences, and having worked across multiple industries, sectors, and geographies.

A top-down commitment to diversity is important. This should include a member of the executive team focused on the practice, and other members of the team that have gone through related training.

It is important to note that surface-level displays of a commitment to inclusion can be harmful to the outcome and provide inaccurate data. Research respondents will only feel that their input matters if researchers have created an environment where they feel like their input truly matters and feel comfortable sharing their honest opinions.

Researchers who understand the diverse populations they study, ultimately provide clients with more accurate and actionable insights.