Goodbye to Stereotypes – Designing Research That is Effective, Fair and Empowering

Editor’s Note: This post is part of our partnership with Colour of Research [CORe]. Colour of Research advocates for the inclusion of ethnic professionals in the market research industry. Their aim is to provide guidance and encouragement while forging meaningful connections to enable growth and development. Their mission is to be seen and heard in an industry they love, but are currently under represented in.

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Since I can remember, I have been fascinated by intercultural matters, particularly in relation to race, ethnicity, and religion. It sounds quite abstract, so I don’t blame you for wondering what this actually means. Let’s start there!

Broadly, “culture” refers to social norms, customs, beliefs, and other factors that influence the attitudes and behaviours of a given population. It is layered and multi-faceted, meaning nuances can emerge across the group (e.g., by country of origin, city, age). Intercultural matters could therefore be anything from cross-group interactions (e.g., social cohesion), to assessing if, how, and why social and economic outcomes differ.

I suppose I first became interested in this area because, being from a minority ethnic background, you are often (consciously or subconsciously) aware of and even part of different cultures. There can, of course, be challenges and it’s great to see these increasingly being discussed. But straddling cultures can also be a powerful place, one where you come to appreciate similarities and can help to highlight them. Broadening my knowledge out from lived experiences to intercultural matters across the world was the focus of my academic studies.

Research (methods) formed part of my MSc in International Public Policy and it was then that I became passionate about the role it can play in the intercultural space. More specifically, empowering lesser-heard groups (e.g., ethnic and religious minorities), by providing a platform to represent themselves. Too often, their perspectives are not widely heard nor understood, and thus do not inform decision-making that impacts them. Moreover, even when they are heard, the narrative is often focused on subgroups or formulated by third parties. As such, this can lead to misunderstandings and the perpetuation of restrictive, and often harmful, stereotypes.

While I firmly believe in the power of research, in this case (as in many others), one must keep in mind the wise words from Spider-Man. Indeed, “With great power comes great responsibility”. In order to fulfill its potential in relation to lesser-heard groups, we must 1) conduct research and 2) do it right!

Thankfully there has been considerable progress in the 10+ years that I have been in the industry. When I first started, no matter how much we could demonstrate the value (including economic) of understanding minority ethnic and religious audiences, it simply wasn’t a priority nor even consideration for many. Over the last few years, we have been moving in the right direction, and this has been sped up considerably by the (tragic) events of the last 12 months (e.g., the killing of George Floyd, and the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on minority ethnic groups).

However, simply conducting research is not enough. If we do not do it right, the research endeavor may be unsuccessful or may even (unintentionally) end up causing harm (e.g., reinforcing stereotypes). I’m hoping this article can help! It seeks to provide guidance on how to ensure research with lesser-heard groups is valid, successful, and, importantly, positively impacts them.

 

Addressing your blind spots

In this context, blind spots are information gaps in relation to our target audience. These could be the result of biases (unconscious or conscious), or things we genuinely don’t know we don’t know.

Even those with considerable experience may have blind spots – there is no shame in admitting them, especially if you are actively trying to learn. As an example, during the first lockdown, I (along with a team of specialists) worked on the British Asian Trust’s Heroes campaign, seeking to highlight the contribution of the Asian diaspora to the national (UK) effort. Despite our collective knowledge, we too were surprised by the extent of the impact our nominees were having on the ground (e.g., distributing 1000s of weekly food packages, offering job/skills training, and supporting vulnerable communities). Their efforts gained recognition from the Prime Minister, with some of our Heroes even being featured in the Queen’s honours list.

Here are some ways you can seek to get around blind spots:

• Gather as much information as you can through desk research (e.g., books, documentaries, national statistics, and other research)
• Speak to a range of experts (e.g., community leaders, civic organisations, practitioners)
• One of the most powerful tools is ethnographic research – get out and observe for yourself

 

Research Design considerations

In terms of sampling, think carefully about intra-group nuances (e.g., country of origin, religion, age, life stage) and whether these are likely to be relevant for your given topic. For example, the limitations of the term BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) are increasingly being highlighted, especially given varying outcomes between ethnic groups in the UK. When comparing minorities at an aggregated level to the white population, the former does less well on a number of socio-economic indicators (excluding education). However, when looking specifically at British Indian and Chinese groups, they often outperform other minorities as well as their white counterparts.

Even if they are relevant, there may simply be factors that you cannot include due to feasibility (e.g., budget, access to the audience, timings). Just make sure that you are both aware of and transparent about what you have omitted, including potential implications such as who the research can and cannot claim to be representative of.

As lesser-heard audiences are not readily available via commonly used research channels, when it comes to data collection, you may need to roll up your sleeves:

• Use the most appropriate method(s) for the target audience, to ensure participants are able to feedback in ways they are comfortable with
• Seek to eliminate potential barriers to participation, such as internet access, language needs, or any costs related to taking part (e.g., phone data, childcare)
• Consider using a range of data collection approaches (e.g., online surveys, shorter SMS responses, in-situ interviews) and then triangulate insights during the analysis process

 

You may know your “why” but is that enough?

 Even if you have the best intentions and a solid methodology, you may fail if you don’t win trust!

 There are a number of reasons why lesser-heard groups may be somewhat harder to engage at the start. They may simply be less familiar with research or, understandably, have concerns about the potential consequences of taking part – will it help or harm them? Also, while positive, the recent focus on researching lesser-heard groups could lead to some fatigue. We are finding that while the increased focus is appreciated, tangible changes do not always follow. It is therefore important to clearly explain not just why the research is taking place, but how the findings will be used.

 

An opportunity to make a difference together!

Finally, once you have successfully demonstrated the value of the project, communities can be forthcoming about helping in an ongoing way (e.g., additional research or implementation).

Our current project with London Sport could provide some inspiration. Our aim is to influence women and girls in (highly diverse) areas in East London to become physically active. We have identified key influencers (e.g., religious centres, community groups, media outlets, etc.) and are working closely with them in the delivery of initiatives.

Remember, the end of one piece of research could be the start of something bigger.

Photo by jasminebrowley at Nappy.co