A more apt comparison for the humanitarian community is the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The Ebola virus has a high death rate, and the outbreak in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea resulted in lockdowns similar to those now being seen on a much larger scale. GeoPoll’s experience conducting research during Ebola outbreaks aligns with the shifts from face-to-face to remote research we are seeing now, and the humanitarian community is also looking to its experience with Ebola to guide its response to COVID-19 around the globe.

Prepare for Long-Term Impacts to Food Security and Economies

One of the main areas of comparison between Ebola and coronavirus is the long-term impacts that come with a disease outbreak. During and after the Ebola outbreak, food security and economic impacts were a major concern. GeoPoll’s study with USAID and FHI360 on long-term economic impacts of Ebola found that from June 2014 to June 2015 32% in Liberia and 45% of respondents in Sierra Leone reported that income had dropped in the past year. We also used our remote methodology to study food insecurity and market operability, finding that those in the Ebola epicenters had higher food insecurity than surrounding areas, and that as the disease continued to spread markets were operating at reduced capacity.

As coronavirus spreads to developing regions in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, there are already concerns around the food availability, unrest, and economic impacts that will follow. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization has warned that a global food crisis is possible unless measures are taken to protect the food supply chain, and it is likely that food prices will also rise. Additionally, lockdowns and social distancing measures are likely to have an outsized impact on countries that rely on informal markets and exports of commodities including oil. In countries that already suffer from food insecurity and unstable economies, coronavirus could have a devastating effect on food security and wellbeing. Humanitarian organizations must act rapidly to prevent widespread food insecurity and other hardships, but they are also dealing with the need to quickly adapt systems to a new environment.

Adapt Aid and Research Systems

To prevent worst-case scenarios from occurring, the humanitarian community must work together to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from overwhelming fragile healthcare systems and economies. However, as we saw the Ebola outbreak, there will be challenges surrounding aid delivery and monitoring of situations on-the-ground. Due to the travel restrictions that have been implemented to stop coronavirus’ spread, aid organizations are already experiencing challenges delivering required goods. Gavi, the vaccine alliance, has stated that 21 countries are experiencing vaccine shortages due to travel disruptions, and farmers in Kenya have been left without supplies to fight the worst locust infestation seen in years.

Additionally, aid organizations and their workers are grappling with the decision to stay and help those who are in need or protect themselves from the virus. The World Health Organization found that during the West African Ebola outbreak, healthcare workers were over 20 times more likely to become infected than the general population, a statistic that we may see repeated with the COVID-19 outbreak.

These factors present a challenge for humanitarian organizations that are looking to monitor indicators such as food security and then deliver the necessary aid to vulnerable populations. During the Ebola outbreak, GeoPoll watched as development organizations shifted their data collection from in-person to remote methodologies. With partners including USAID, Keystone Accountability, and FEWS Net, we completed over 200,000 surveys of those living in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea that enabled development organizations to better respond to the disease outbreak.

While it is impossible to conduct business as usual during a global pandemic, the Ebola response taught us that by quickly adapting, it is possible to gather the vital information needed to assist the global response. The effects of coronavirus will be felt for years to come, but by looking to lessons learned during previous disease outbreaks and quickly scaling to meet anticipated needs, organizations like ours can help those most in need.

To learn about GeoPoll’s efforts to aid the international response to coronavirus and view our free reports on the topic, visit our coronavirus resources page.

The post How to Apply Lessons Learned from the Ebola Response to COVID-19 appeared first on GeoPoll.

GeoPoll was excited to attend SampleCon this week in Austin, Texas. Focused on the survey sampling industry, SampleCon brought together experts from both sample providers such as GeoPoll and brands who require sample for their research projects. GeoPoll attended sessions that delved into some of the new trends in sampling and survey design, including automation, programmatic surveys, blockchain, and the future of panel building.

The need for reliable and engaged survey respondents around the globe was also discussed in several sessions, and GeoPoll was pleased to present on designing surveys for the next billion – individuals in emerging markets who represent a large percentage of the world’s population, and are of increasing interest to brands looking to build loyalty among a growing consumer class.

Market Research in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America

Due to their increasing spending power and the sheer size of the population throughout Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, emerging markets are the next frontier in market research. However, the majority of the market research industry has not had to think about the key differences in reaching respondents in these markets and sending them user-friendly surveys.

Recent data from Pew Research shows that internet connectivity in emerging markets such as South Africa, Nigeria, Mexico, and the Philippines is growing, buoyed by the level of smartphone adoption: in South Africa 60% own a smartphone, and an additional 33% have a mobile phone that is not a smartphone. This next generation of Internet users is coming online in a mobile-first society, used to accessing banking tools, sending messages, and playing games on a mobile phone, rather than a desktop computer.

Designing Surveys for Mobile Phones

This also means survey respondents in emerging markets will answer questions via their mobile device, and researchers must keep several important factors in mind when designing surveys for this population. For example, not all mobile browsers support JavaScript, which is used in some web link-based surveys, and long matrix questions may not show up correctly on devices with small screens. Photo and video questions can also present a challenge in areas with slow internet connectivity and expensive mobile data, as the survey respondent is charged for each photo they view.

Additionally, researchers must keep cultural context in mind when writing survey questions and understand that questions may be interpreted differently than intended – for example, GeoPoll has found that respondents asked the question “Do you work in market research?” often answer “yes” because they take surveys in exchange for a small incentive, when in fact the question is intended to identify professional researchers.

As brands and other groups begin to request more data from these markets, industry leaders must be educated on how to shift their mindset towards reaching basic mobile browsers, respondents that speak multiple dialects, and areas with poor mobile service. In our SampleCon presentation, GeoPoll went through best practices for survey design in emerging markets. To help the audience reach a better understanding of the overall importance that user experience can have on survey completion, GeoPoll presented a video that shows the lengthy and tedious process that a respondent must go through to complete a survey when it is not coded with their device type in mind. As market research continues to grow in countries outside North America and Europe the topic of user experience on basic mobile devices will become more and more prevalent so the video showcasing negative user experience is included below.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to design surveys for respondents in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, download our free guide to conducting research in emerging markets here. For more information on GeoPoll’s respondent panel and multi-modal mobile survey platform, contact us anytime.

The post Survey Design for Emerging Markets at SampleCon appeared first on GeoPoll.