International fieldwork is at its most effective if accompanied by local knowledge informing recruitment.
We’ve covered five key elements to consider before commissioning your next global study.
1. Cultural background
It’s well known that culture influences respondents’ participation. In some countries, for example, respondents may seek to please moderators or try to impress them by exaggerating their answers. This phenomenon, also known as acquiescence bias, is believed to happen more frequently in developing countries, and should be considered during data analysis.
2. Response rates
Response rates may vary from country to country for many reasons. In places where market research is well-established like USA and Europe, there is an ongoing decline in the number of completes, largely because of bad experiences with long and tedious questionnaires. This issue can be easily addressed with better research design. Also, making participation more convenient is especially important to encourage HCPs participation, as the BHBIA suggested in a recent report.
3. Translation Issues
The importance of using the respondent’s native language can’t be overstated. Regardless of the approach and methodology, it’s fundamental to reaching global audiences with the same impact and personalisation, regardless of their location. Some English words like “significantly”, “somewhat” and “quite” are commonly used in questionnaires and can be difficult do translate. Keeping these language peculiarities front of mind is fundamental when coordinating multi-country studies.
4. Calendar
Holidays fall on different days around the world and can interrupt fieldwork delivery. While Labour Day is observed by more than 160 countries on May 1, both the USA and Canada celebrate it on the first Monday in September. In Australia, by contrast, we mark it on the first Monday of March, May or October, depending on the state.
5. Methodoloy
Since the beginning of COVID-19 outbreak, there has been a dramatic shift towards online studies. This is particularly interesting for international fieldwork, especially for qualitative studies. In-depth interviews and focus groups can now be supported by virtual interview solutions like our proprietary platform QualStage, which allows flexibility and local moderation by someone who understands the audience’s culture and speaks their language.
Interested in commissioning international market research? Contact us at info@ekas.com.au.
