Market Research’s Most Elusive Respondent

If you work in research there is somebody I would like to introduce you to... but I can't 😫.

It isn't because I don't want to. It's because I do not actually know who they are. Here is what I can tell you about them.

- They do not pick up the phone from unknown callers
- They are not clicking a survey link in the email or text you sent them
- They are not joining your panels
- They say 'now is not a good time' when somebody comes to the door with a survey
- They only participate in research when they HAVE to (national census, mandatory employee survey)

So why should we care? Despite their unwillingness to engage, their behavior and opinions still matter. They buy things, they vote, they participate in society. When they're missing from our data, we're describing a version of the public that doesn't exist and making decisions based solely on the willing. That's often the best we can do, but it doesn't have to be.

So what can we do about it?
- Triangulate by integrating real purchase data, social media listening, or alternative research platforms
- Meet them where they are (in-person intercepts, passive data, channels they already tolerate).
- Perhaps even lobby the Canadian census to add a question on research participation so we as researchers can better understand their profile. It would let us profile non-participants, not just guess at them.

Are YOU this person? How can we get to know them better?