Researching the Over 50s Pros

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Researching the Over 50sPros Cons of Different
MethodologiesBirkbeck College London
September 28th 2005

• Nobodys Unpredictable

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Issues to consider

• Over 50s are not a homogenous group like any
  subset of the population they are incredibly
  diverse
• E.g. there is a major difference between someone
  in their 50s and someone in their 80s
• Over 50s may be less cynical about market
  research and thus higher response rates may be
  achieved
• Questions must be carefully worded, using
  terminology that can be understood and including
  codes which reflect over 50s lifestyles
• Interviewers may need to be more reassuring and
  avoid a hard sell approach
• Interview duration can be longer than for younger
  people as some elderly people are lonely and like
  to talk

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Useful Additional Classification Data

• Senior diversity means that standard
  classification data (age, income, gender, social
  grouping) leaves gaps
• Helpful to collect additional circumstantial
  information
• Life-stage/milestones - important
• Household composition
• Chatelaine or dependent
• Generations living in home
• Pre, post, in-retirement or semi-retired
• Great differences in interest and concerns
• over a short timescale
• Communications
• PC access
• And more

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In-home interviewing

• Pros
• Older people, especially those who have retired,
  are more likely to be at home, making it easier
  to achieve interviews
• Can snowball for other over 50s in the local
  area
• Able to build up a rapport/probe via open ended
  questions
• Able to show stimulus materials (need to ensure
  writing is large enough for those with poor
  eyesight)

• Cons
• More difficult to cover sensitive topics as
  asking questions directly may cause offence
• Some over 75s may be too old or frail to
  complete an interview
• A large number of over 75s will be in
  homes/sheltered housing and difficult to access

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Street central location interviewing

• Pros
• Able to sight-screen (e.g. for the over 50s)
• Able to collect more immediate reactions to
  shops, advertising etc.
• Cons
• Street interviews need to be short (no more than
  10-12 minutes) especially for the old and frail
• Bad weather can affect costs and timings
• Sample can only be drawn from passers by

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Paper self-completion

• Pros
• Allows coverage of more sensitive topics (e.g.
  finance or sexual preference), particularly among
  older groups
• Postal self-completion good for reaching
  individuals at home who may be missed otherwise
• Respondents can consult information (e.g. bills,
  packs) not to hand when called
• Cons
• No control over interviewing
• Complicated routing/rotations may not be followed
  correctly
• Not able to probe on open-ended questions
• Print size!

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Telephone interviewing

• Pros
• Good for reaching dispersed samples (e.g. from a
  customer database)
• Probing open-ended questions
• Cons
• Miss out unlisted landline numbers
• Access to phones is especially limited in some
  other countries
• Dialling times may need to be increased so
  elderly/disabled people can answer the phone in
  time
• If calling mobile numbers, need to bear in mind
  only 6 in 10 over 75s have a mobile phone
• Greater proportion of hard-of-hearing!

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Online

• Pros
• As with paper self-completion surveys, able to
  tackle sensitive subjects
• Information can be consulted and they can
  complete the survey in their own time
• Cons
• Levels of internet access diminish with age
  only 35 of over 75s are online compared to 54
  of 65-74s and 78 of 50-65s
• The views and behaviours of over 50s who are
  online may differ from over 50s without internet
  access

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Qualitative Research An Essential Aid to
Getting it Right

• The so-called Grey Market is NOT homogenous
• We need to be able to use a common vocabulary
  which is both understandable and acceptable
• And to produce constructs and scales for
  measurement and quantification which are
  empathetic and meaningful
• Even the least ageist amongst us need to
  challenge pre-conceptions
• Qualitative research to gain understanding of the
  parameters, motivators, attitudes and vocabulary
• Essential to good questionnaire development and
  design
• Pay dividends before or after quantitative
  research in added diagnostic value