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Engaging hard to reach groups through market research

We believe it’s our duty to deliver inclusive and accessible solutions which recognise the value and importance of all audiences, and all voices. Although some groups may be considered hard to reach based on personal circumstances, this can be due, in part, to limited sampling and poorly chosen methodologies which exclude and underserve these cohorts. At DJS Research, we focus on audience needs from the outset to deliver fully representative research. Our approach ensures no group is ever truly out of reach.

The combined expertise of our in-house Field & Recruitment team and our highly experienced researchers means we have both the resource and the skills to identify and engage vital groups which can otherwise be under-represented or – worse still – overlooked. We connect with the audiences you wish to better understand and work with them to generate the authentic insight, and customer clarity, you seek.

Through our time spent with individuals who are facing challenging circumstances and extreme hardship, we understand how complex and multilayered personal struggles can be. For example, individuals who are digitally disengaged may be more socially isolated, while others who are experiencing financial difficulties may be struggling with physical or mental health problems. We recognise that vulnerabilities come in many different forms and audience needs can be multifaceted.

Engaging these audiences requires sensitivity, careful handling and bespoke planning – there’s never a one-size-fits-all approach…

How we engage the audiences you struggle to reach

By placing audiences at the centre of our projects from the start, we ensure their needs, and the needs of our clients, are met throughout the research process.

Our tailored end-to-end solutions reach, and build trust with, under-represented audiences using the following principles and practices:

  • Putting participants first: Recognising the needs of the individual based on their personal circumstances, ensuring they are handled sensitively and with the utmost respect.
  • Agile recruitment: Using a blend of different approaches to engage groups who are deemed hard to reach. This includes our in-house online panel of consumers who are living with vulnerabilities, or facing personal adversities: Different Perspectives.
  • Community links: Building authentic face-to-face links with community organisations to reach specific demographic and cultural groups through trusted people-led channels. Examples include specific ethnic minority groups, audiences with limited or no digital access and non-mobile users.
  • Skilled interviewers: All our respondent-facing staff have been trained to conduct interviews with people in vulnerable circumstances. We have experience discussing the most sensitive topics with individuals who are facing the most difficult personal situations. These include patients (both adults and children) with life-limiting illnesses and their families, and people living in severe financial hardship.
  • Protection and support: Our 'red flag' system means we can alert clients, or other appropriate organisations, immediately if we feel a respondent needs urgent help or might be at risk.
  • Accessibility: We believe accessibility should be the rule for market research practices and not the exception. We design research that caters to the needs of our audience to maximise participation and ensure all respondents feel seen and understood.
  • Working with organisations: We collaborate closely with associations who represent people in vulnerable circumstances, including charitable organisations, to optimise our understanding of these groups which further informs our approach.

With the right approach that puts participant needs at the heart of your research, no audience should be truly hard to reach.

Read more about our commitment to ensuring inclusivity and accessibility in all our market research projects.

And to find out how we can engage the specific groups you wish to hear from, and deliver the clarity and insight you need, contact our team today.

 

Explore our case studies archive

Some of the clients we've conducted market research with underrepresented groups on behalf of include

Some of the clients we've conducted market research with underrepresented groups on behalf of include

Why partner with DJS Research?

Senior-led sector experts icon

We build small, director-led, teams of sector experts who are with you from brief to debrief. As an employee-owned company, every one of us is invested in delivering quality, value, and long-term impact.

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From agile testing to deep-dive strategic studies, we design research to meet your specific objectives. The agility of our in-house operations team and strength of our UK-wide recruiter network enable seamless execution at scale.

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Our sector-focused teams have decades of experience understanding audiences and the complexities of the markets in which our clients operate. Working collaboratively we deliver actionable insight which drives positive change.

We are small enough. We are big enough. We are DJS Research

We'd love to talk...

Contact us to discuss your market research project and how we can become an extension of your team.

Contact us

Contact us to discuss your market research project and how we can become an extension of your team.

Contact us