This document provides an overview of a webinar about how to find insights in survey data during the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar discusses a framework for analyzing survey data that involves defining problems, organizing data, finding the main story and relevant exceptions. It then applies this framework to analyze a second wave of survey data from research professionals about how they are coping. The main findings are that most researchers are coping well with working from home but some, such as sole traders, are struggling more and have seen income drops. Suggestions for research leaders include advocating for the industry and helping those in need.

1. How to search for insights in
survey data?
Ray Poynter
with Geoff Lowe from Infotools
Webinar, 25 June 2020
Ray Poynter
NewMR
Geoff Lowe
Infotools

2. Sponsors
Gold
Silver

3. Agenda
The NewMR
framework
The example data During fieldwork Checking and
organising
Main Story – SPSS Relevant Exceptions
– Harmoni
Q & A

4. NewMR Framework
1. Define the problem
2. Link to the wider context
3. Organise the data
4. Use the business question as a lens
5. Find the main story, the big picture
6. Find the relevant exceptions
7. Create an overall story
8. Use Think, Feel, Do!
to create & communicate the story

5. Defining the Problem
1. Are researchers coping with the
pandemic crisis?
2. If not, what are the problems and
who is experiencing them?
3. What should the leaders of the
research industry be doing?

6. Link to the Wider Context
WFH became the norm
Trade bodies creating
COVID-19 resource
pages
Lots of concern about
the plight of
freelancers/sole traders
Widespread
expectation that people
will have spare time on
their hands (with some
arguing this was not so)
Many client companies
in hibernation
Global marketing /
advertising budgets
slashed

7. This is the second wave
So, review messages from Wave 1
• Most people are coping with the pandemic crisis, but about
one-in-six are not
• Most people are working from home, which is OK for most
people, but not for about 20% of us
• The key things that research leaders should be doing are:
– Advocate for research
– Help support the wellbeing of our people

8. The Research
• A survey conducted with insight and research
professionals
• A second wave of a study conducted a month earlier
• Additional research question
– Has anything changed between the end of March and the
end of April – if so, are there implications for what
research leaders and organisations should be doing?

9. Organise the Data
• This starts during fieldwork
– Are there any problems?
– What are the emerging messages?
– Do we need to tweak the research?
• Checking the data
• Creating a data set that can be investigated

10. During Fieldwork - QuestionPro

11. Read the last question first

12. Google, Portuguese detected – ‘not working’
Google, Portuguese detected – ‘without research work’

14. Emerging Messages
• Lots of mentions about sole traders
• Some really sad cases
• About half the people reported drop in income
• The data looks pretty similar to the first wave

15. Checking the Data
Response
ID IP Address
Timestamp (mm/
dd/yyyy) Duplicate
Time Taken
to Complete
(Seconds)
Responden
t Email
Country
Code Region
How do you,
personally, feel
today?
Which of the following best describes your current
(this week) work situation? Select all that apply
Working in an office Working from home
51861253
**RAA
Blocked** 04/25/2020 02:37 FALSE 27
**RAA
Blocked**
**RAA
Blocked**
**RAA
Blocked** 3
51861304
**RAA
Blocked** 04/25/2020 02:49 FALSE 85
**RAA
Blocked**
**RAA
Blocked**
**RAA
Blocked** 3 1
51861325
**RAA
Blocked** 04/25/2020 02:53 FALSE 45
**RAA
Blocked**
**RAA
Blocked**
**RAA
Blocked** 3 1
51861327
**RAA
Blocked** 04/25/2020 02:54 FALSE 311
**RAA
Blocked**
**RAA
Blocked**
**RAA
Blocked** 3 1
51861365
**RAA
Blocked** 04/25/2020 03:07 FALSE 345
**RAA
Blocked**
**RAA
Blocked**
**RAA
Blocked** 4
51861373
**RAA
Blocked** 04/25/2020 03:12 FALSE 119
**RAA
Blocked**
**RAA
Blocked**
**RAA
Blocked** 4 1
51861391
**RAA
Blocked** 04/25/2020 03:18 FALSE 183
**RAA
Blocked**
**RAA
Blocked**
**RAA
Blocked** 3 1
51861407
**RAA
Blocked** 04/25/2020 03:27 FALSE 66
**RAA
Blocked**
**RAA
Blocked**
**RAA
Blocked** 4 1

16. Checking the open-ended comments
Better leads imply better opportunities for investment -
https://peerberry.com/.
Investment stimulus is required [https://www.mintos.com/en/], we
have projects naturally as well.
Investment is golden key to positive growth [https://
pensionfund.org/], 2$M looked upon favourably.

17. Check
Which best
describes your
organisation?
How many people
work in your
organisation
(including you)? Age?
Is there anything else you would like to tell us
about this topic or this survey?
Other Other Use
No
2 3 3 Yes
No
3 1 4
Thank you for this & hope there's something
positive coming up for all of us, soon..... Yes
2 1 5 Yes
2 4 5 Yes
2 4 6 No Yes
2 1 3 Yes
2 3 3 No Yes
1 7 2 NA Yes
2 1 6 Yes

18. Creating a Data Set
• Export to SPSS
– Tip, try to avoid CSV or Excel, they lose the Question and
Labels
• Group the countries into regions
– Including all the ‘Other specify’
• Integrate with previous Wave
– Adding a Wave variable
– Sense check the combined data set

19. Use the Business Question as a Lens
• We are not looking for everything that is ‘interesting’
• We are seeking to answer business questions and
provide insight into decisions
Our Business Questions
1. Are researchers coping with the pandemic crisis?
2. If not, what are the problems and who is experiencing them?
3. What should the leaders of the research industry be doing?
Additional Research Question
Has anything changed between the end of March and the end of April – if so, are
there implications for what research leaders and organisations should be doing?

20. Searching not Trawling
Use our questions to tell us where to look and what to look for

21. The Main Story
Before looking for exceptions, we look for the main story, in the
context of our questions
Our Business Questions
1. Are researchers coping with the pandemic crisis?
2. If not, what are the problems and who is experiencing them?
3. What should the leaders of the research industry be doing?
Additional Research Question
Has anything changed between the end of March and the end of April – if so, are
there implications for what research leaders and organisations should be doing?

22. About one-in-six pick a sad
face – similar to wave 1
About 5% working in an
office – similar to wave 1
Nearly 90% working from
home – similar to wave 1

23. About 10% not working, needs accounting for in
the reporting of percentages – similar to wave 1
About 3% picked other, not many, but read open
ends when looking for detail – similar to wave 1
Question not asked in Wave 2, useful background
information
About 80% say working from home suiting them at the
moment, base = those working from home – similar to
wave 1

24. Statistical Significance
• With a sample of over 2000 people (more than 1000 per
wave) there are lots of differences that are statistically
significant
• Most of them are NOT interesting in terms of the main
story
• In this sort of study I am looking for differences around
10% points or more – this is story finding not an exercise in
measuring the minutiae

25. About one-third are working fewer hours, one-third the
same, and one-third working more hours.
About half have seen their income fall, about half have
seen no change, and almost nobody (1.6%, 18 people) is
reporting an increase in income.

26. Suggestions for our Leaders
Raw Text Notes
Give clear updates on how the company is performing. If there are potential redundancies coming,
warm people so they can budget appropriately now Company, leadership, transparency
No idea NA
no NA
Treat the employees as human and don't sack them to showing the lack of business growth Company, leadership, welfare
Not seeing enough coverage in the media if how people should interpret research More discussion on
the limitations of the use of virtual connection in qual research. ... Eg the inability to really understand
body language MR specific
Just be yourself - you are a leader, heads up, maybe it will not be perfect but don,t stop - lead as much
as you can every day. Imagine what is good as a goal today and be the leader. Talk about that being
careful about wording, natural language, no hate, compassion - one day up, another neutral/sleepy or
pause, just do it, keep walking and they will follow. Your team depends on your strength and direction Moral guidance and leadership
Think long term Beyond COVID
Stop bugging us with online options!! We know about them. It’s our clients that have to get back to
rewarding projects or resuming work. Focus on projects not methods
Encourage brands to spend money on research to help them be successful in the future Advocate for more research
Keep up the pressure on MPs and the Treasury to help one man bands
Advocate for hardship cases, sole
traders

27. Processing the Suggestions
• Focus on things our leaders could be doing to tackle
current problems
– Don’t report every topic mentioned
• Look for the main story
• Don’t be swayed by hard cases or articulate responses
• Generalise the specific to facilitate finding the main
story

28. Generalise the specific to facilitate
finding the main story
“Keep up the pressure on MPs and the Treasury to help one
man bands”
1. Advocate with Governments and similar bodies
2. To help MR people in need
3. Specifically sole traders / freelancers / one man bands
etc

29. Relevant Exceptions
• Use your key stories and issues as the dependent
variable
• In most cases that means setting the question of
interest as the columns
– And setting the other variables as the rows
• Look for big differences, around 10% or more

30. 90% of people who picked a Happy Face said
working from home suits them, this drops to 68%
for people who picked a Sad Face – so people
who do NOT favour WFH are a potential relevant
exception
There is an interaction with change in hours worked
and face chosen. 41% of Happy Face are working
similar hours, but this drops to 28% for Sad Face
Strong interaction between Face and income
change. 41% of Happy Faces say income lower, but
64% of Sad Faces say income lower.

31. Relevant Exceptions
New Zealand
Better and Worse Off
Geoff Lowe
Infotools
Interactive Session
See the recording of the presentation

32. Think, Feel, Do!
• The Think is the data
• The Do is
a) Some people need help, find out who needs help, try to
help them
b) Advocate for the importance of market research
c) Several secondary Do’s, such as going digital, being
resilient, and thinking about the long term
• The Feel is the way we communicate the Do

33. The Story?
• Some people suggested the main story is 80% of
people are coping fine
• But – what is the implied action? No action?
• The ‘Do’ we want to create is ‘find who has a problem
and see if you can help them’
• So the story has to be ”Most are OK, but some aren’t”

34. Lots More – In the Report

35. Q & A
Sue York
NewMR
Ray Poynter
NewMR
Geoff Lowe
Infotools

36. Sponsors
Gold
Silver

37. Thank You

38. Thank You