Employing a variety or methodologies to ask questions of a large enough, representative sample of respondents to be able to quantify the results.
Face-to-faceA campaigning group wanted to ascertain the extent and nature of public support for a proposed development among residents living in the area.
A major charity wanted to understand how it was perceived among the general public and public understanding and behaviour with respect to volunteering and other issues it was campaigning on.
A charity concerned with ensuring the elderly did not succumb to mild hypothermia wanted to understand the extent of the problem, how far the over-sixties understood the causes and dangers of being cold and the strategies they adopted to stay warm.
A major organisation wanted to see which of a number of brand values the public felt applied most and least appropriately to it.
On-line
A major international healthcare company wanted to understand how its internal communications were working, the communications needs of its staff and the best channels to use for different kinds of messages.
An industry body wanted to find out who read its quarterly newsletter and how it needed to change it to meet the needs of its target audiences more effectively.
A travel company wanted to understand how its staff valued its range of employee benefits and how to optimise the mix.
A firm providing on-line training services to legal professionals wanted a European-wide survey that focused on leading-edge issues to generate publicity and position it as thought leaders in its market.
A media firm wanted to understand the factors motivating its staff and how to engage them more effectively.
Postal
An under-performing local authority wanted to understand the factors driving its employees’ job satisfaction and the barriers that were preventing them from performing more effectively.
A building society wanted to understand how to improve employee engagement and the impact various initiatives were having on improving overall staff motivation and performance.
Telephone/highlights]
A watchdog considering a name change wanted to explore the reactions of industry stakeholders to the proposed options.