Editor’s note: Cynthia D. Harris is founder of 8:28 Consulting, a Columbus, Ohio-based qualitative research and marketing strategy firm. 

2020 changed everything for many people. 

While collective grief affects many, certain subsets of people are impacted in different ways. As a qualitative researcher, listening to and interpreting key human truths from respondents of all types is a central skill that we all must work to finesse. As we listen to respondents to unearth truths, it is important to consider the potential backdrop of collective grief that may contextualize respondents’ experiences during research engagements. 

A new approach to research 

2020 tested us all in ways that we could never have predicted. From a global recession, to a pandemic that stretched across countries, to unemployment rates and social unrest coming to the forefront of our minds – we have all been jarred into a new reality.

Throughout 2020, many market researchers were forced to evolve approaches to perform agile research in an unpredictable year. From rapidly switching methodologies from in-person to digital platforms, to working with new groups of respondents, we have all had to adapt. 

Dealing with the collective grief of getting through a global pandemic (among other things) has affected our respondents in profound ways as well. In this article, I will share a few segments of people particularly affected by the collective grief of 2020. I’ll also offer ways to authentically connect with these groups when conducting research and interpreting data to guide your clients and your team members to decisions.

Humans of the BIPOC community

Grief appears in many ways. 

The killing of George Floyd in June 2020 brought systemic racism to the forefront – specifically its impact on BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) people and communities. More recently, many watched in horror as the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., was invaded – some noting the contrast between law enforcement presence as compared to BLM protests in 2020. 

In addition, the National Urban League’s “19 Lessons of COVID-19” report shows that essential workers are disproportionately people of color. Twenty percent of them live in poverty and more than 40% rely on public assistance. Given these facts, it is important to remember the additional stressors that may be true for BIPOC respondents when conducting research. 

While meeting our research objectives is necessary, it is equally important to realize and acknowledge that speaking about [insert your category here] may not be as important to a BIPOC respondent on a day the headlines show yet another inequity. 

While a single individual cannot change these systemic challenges, researchers have the unique ability to listen to and shape the stories of the human experience inside organizations. This is an awesome responsibility and it is incumbent on us to ensure we listen without judgement or prejudice. To do so, we must create a safe space for our respondents to show up – yes, even when the headlines may trigger feelings of grief for our respondents. 

Tips for researchers:

  • Awareness. As researchers, it is important for us to be constantly aware of the issues that are impacting the communities we research, including the BIPOC community. When police shootings are publicized in the news, many in the BIPOC community experience a deep level of grief. And performing at a high level after seeing another “# Black or brown person” headline, or explaining what systemic racism is to your child after they read another headline, can be physically taxing and daunting. Take time to subscribe to alerts that speak about current events for your audience.
  • Hire (or consult with) a BIPOC researcher. Cultural competence is important when conducting research, especially during a time of global collective grief. Strongly consider hiring researchers who have cultural sensitivities that represent the group that you’re researching.
  • Offer space. If a respondent opens up about something that is a challenge for them, do not avoid it. Rather, offer support through intonation and empathy. 

Mothers in the workforce

Not only are they expected to navigate through a pandemic, many working mothers have also had to manage their professional life while figuring out how to homeschool. While working fathers have also been impacted, the working mother has faced very unique challenges as it relates to thriving over the past year. 

According to NPR, nearly half of all school districts in the U.S. started the 2020 school year with remote learning. This reality was a major shift for parents with school-age children – and it was a greater shift for working mothers who also are the primary caregiver for their children.

Consider this: if you’re a working mother who typically works outside of the home, you now must think through negotiating additional time off with your job, considering at-home care during the day, performing on the job, safe/COVID-free activities for your children, keeping up with school work – the list goes on. 

And, if you’re a working mother who has the privilege of working from home, there are still additional considerations such as: creating a conducive environment for both work and schooling to happen at home, revised schedules, preparing lunch and more.

Women are leaving the workforce at four times the rate of men, according to an October 2020 NPR article. The same article states that the “Labor Department finds that married mothers do almost double the amount of household chores and parenting as married fathers.”

In both cases, creating a household that “works” during a pandemic has not been easy – especially women with small children at home. 

In addition to altering the at-home routine, they are still making purchase decisions for the home, meaning they remain key targets for many companies. Women drive 70-80% of all consumer purchasing decisions. Research must continue with this very important subset of respondents to properly prepare brands for the future of purchase behaviors. 

Tips for researchers:

  • Consider asynchronous methodologies. Building asynchronous activities into research allows you to give respondents time to truly think about their responses. This enables participants the headspace to contemplate their responses instead of putting them in a situation where they must answer immediately – yes, with the kids yelling in the background.
  • Acknowledge the situation. Offer compassion and give her permission to take a “time out” if needed. This will build trust and provide a more conducive environment for research. It is OK to tell your respondent to take a moment if she needs to attend to something that is going on with her child in the home.  

The folks of our future – young workers

Hundreds of thousands of people have been financially impacted by the pandemic. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the overall unemployment rate for young workers ages 16–24 jumped from 8.4% to 24.4% from spring 2019 to spring 2020, while unemployment for their counterparts, ages 25 and older, rose from 2.8% to 11.3%. This shift in employment status for young workers inevitably impacts their decision-making as it pertains to purchases and brands.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, younger Millennials showed indication of their desire for corporations and brands to demonstrate their social stances on issues ranging from climate change to race and more. Many respondents and consumers shift their opinion of a brand based on how brands stand up for or advocate for issues they care about and this is acutely true amongst younger generations.

When making their first purchase decisions on their own (away from their parents or guardians), are they going to choose your brand first? Or do they go with the value offering in the category? If they choose a brand, how do they decide which brand most suits their needs? Is it purely based on performance?

As brands continue to evolve toward a new normal, it is important to go beyond brand equity and saliency and reach for creating a purposeful brand that not only delivers on its brand promise but also demonstrates social responsibility and awareness. It is important to deploy brand activities that younger workers feel good about purchasing. 

Tips for researchers:

  • Lean into their tech savviness. Digital natives may be less inclined to want to meet on face-to-face platforms. Consider having them use their phones to invite you into their life experiences through asynchronous methods 
  • Carefully craft the conversation. Write discussion guides in a way that recognizes the seemingly insurmountable challenges that many young Millennials and Gen Zers face – such as bleak job prospects, high student loans and lack of on-demand social interactions. 

Humanity at the center 

Continuous line drawing of lightbulb between two human hands as a symbol of ideas. As the world grieves in ways never seen before, we are at a unique point in qualitative research history. We have a chance to consider and adopt new ways to invite our respondents to open up – ultimately resulting in rich data our clients can work with to make solid decisions on the consumers’ behalf. Incorporating new, human-centered ways to connect with consumers will usher in a new era of keeping humanity at the center of our work as researchers.

Breathe deeply. Let your respondent breathe deeply. After all, we are all surviving in a pandemic.