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When planning and advocating for community change, supporting your strategic decision-making with market research survey data collected from the diverse residents you serve will only help form a more profound commitment to important issues. When conducting primary research, the ability to capture data on targeted segments can quickly state the differences between neighbourhoods and communities using survey data. For example, profiling demographics on their annual household income, accessibility to the downtown core, transportation services, walk score, historical and heritage buildings, environmental factors unique to areas, etc., can only enhance the research study. In addition, neighbourhood survey data can allow residents (who are directly affected by the community planning) to have their say on what directly impacts them. Neighbourhoods are unique in supporting resident engagement studies. Anyone who has ever considered launching a new community program knows firsthand that neighbourhood boundaries can define attitudes, lifestyles, demographics, income, beliefs, community conditions and trends. It can also affect how a survey is conducted with its local constituents. With the internet, the accessibility of reach has expanded beyond its physical markers - allowing municipalities, community organizations and Governments to access survey data at the local level. Yet, in many cases in Canada and especially in central Canada (where there are fewer people per capita and in less populated areas), reaching a local audience down to the neighbourhood level can be tricky compared to more densely populated urban centres. The internet is no silver bullet to ensure a higher survey response. Still, when it comes to gathering insights from an audience at your neighbourhood level, it is crucial to explore all cost-effective and innovative approaches while prioritizing accurate and representative results. In terms of reaching out to more localized audiences, there are several practices that community planners and researchers can follow: Achieving Higher Local Representation in Targeted Areas In market research, particularly in areas where strategic and community planning needs to be so heavily accountable and influenced by representative statistics, it is critical to provide decision-makers with access to a credible sample of respondents who understand the nature of the problems we are trying to improve. For example, suppose you were interested in surveying residents regarding the location of a future leisure centre. In that case, you may want to design the questionnaire to establish what matters to those who reside closest to the potential locations of interest - this may include local business owners, citizens within a specific kilometre radius, or legacy residents who have expressed concerns over the influx of neighbourhood traffic. Establishing a targeted sample distribution to include the desired and most directly impacted respondents' concerns fuels a higher response rate and provides more significant potential for valuable insights and direction for the success of your plans. In addition, the targeted respondents will likely understand the issue at hand. For example, not everyone is an expert in basket weaving! Consider a Respondent Panel One method of ensuring the opinions of niche segments are captured is using an online respondent panel. A respondent panel is a great resource for uncovering the complexity of neighbourhood survey data, such as researching niche markets like newcomers, young adults, agriculture professionals or even sports enthusiasts! Well-established respondent panels are often made of new explorers in the market or seasoned consumers who have shown loyalty to their community, companies, and brands they engage with. Some respondent panels cannot only target the general population but can also quota segments of the population, focusing on niche audiences with geographic regions. Like SaskWatch Research®, a proprietary online community with more than 18 thousand Saskatchewan residents. Since 2008, Insightrix has dedicated time and resources to ensuring SaskWatch Research collects more than 100 different profile variables that can support businesses interested in the Saskatchewan population and beyond. One of the key benefits of using a respondent panel to conduct market research is to cross-tabulate profile variables and benefit from deeper insights collected from respondents using rich demographic data. Collecting Neighbourhood Survey Demographic Data Respondent panels are supported by collecting demographics of all levels. For community decision-makers, neighbourhood demographics are critical to social and infrastructure planning specific to household composition, annual or individual income, home ownership vs. renting, multi-car households, children still living at home, etc. Urban data collected using neighbourhood surveys can play a role in how one neighbourhood may support an up-and-coming community centre or economic development project. Demographic data can build a foundation for understanding neighbourhoods as they exist and where they're heading. It can be a powerful tool for tracking change over time and identifying a community's needs or strengths to inform planning, policy development or decision-making. Collecting neighbourhood demographic data can also provide a benchmark statistic for whether a strategy or policy made a difference with the target audience. In addition, it can help shed light on characteristics or unique qualities that might advocate for community-focused programs, outreach priorities, marketing initiatives, and grant writing. In many cases, grant applications call for information about the local community, the target population, or a specific audience that might benefit from the activity or work funded by the grant. Targeting urban populations to conduct research has never been easier. Here are five ways to start investigating at the neighbourhood level using survey data (online, by telephone or in-person!): Tap into working knowledge of a community or a population to reveal important social or economic events such as the relocation of a business headquarters, or a significant business shutting down Perceptions of a new infrastructure project and the impacts of two years' worth of construction will have on community residents. Anecdotal information (like a new housing development plan that seems to be attracting retirees) Talk to service providers (community-based organizations) to get real-time information on the populations of interest Conduct a local survey that addresses the specific needs of your community and highlights differences and similarities between other neighbourhoods Presenting key neighbourhood statistics back to the public and in other marketing or communication campaigns in a way that makes citizens come together Interview local leaders and experts and ask if they have suggestions on those who should be included in the study to ensure their response is included Blending neighbourhood survey data and local knowledge can lead to actionable information, and analysis can be used for all types of community-based initiatives and preparing for (or responding to) local change. As a market research industry leader, we are proud to offer our Saskatchewan clients (and clients outside of Saskatchewan) the ability to collect this type of information and the opportunity for local citizens to impact what is happening in their neighbourhoods and communities directly. To find out more about how our respondent panel has supported advocacy and local initiatives or about municipal, community, online panels, or neighbourhood segmentation, contact us! ...
 

At Insightrix Research, we believe it is vital to support our local business and not-for-profit organizations during these times. But all of us play a unique role in ensuring independent organizations remain at the heart of Saskatchewan. As an effort to highlight some of our local community champions, Insightrix, in partnership with our online research panel, SaskWatch, produced a short multimedia video to highlight why it is vital to support our neighbours. It takes communities of all shapes and sizes to support local, independent Saskatchewan businesses.  With local, independent organizations as the fabric of our community - we all play a role in ensuring they remain a part of our neighbourhoods for years to come. A recent Saskatchewan COVID-19 Business Impact Survey (September 2020) revealed more than 3 in 4 Saskatchewan businesses said they were stressed due to the pandemic. And it was discovered that those businesses most vulnerable to COVID-19 impacts are essential to our community's culture. As Saskatchewan businesses continue to navigate the impacts of COVID-19, it's important for us to support one another. The spirit of entrepreneurship in Saskatchewan should be rewarded, as our business community plays an essential part in recovering economically. A Saskatchewan Business For 20 Years    Insightrix is a proud Saskatchewan business for more than 20 years. We have had the pleasure of supporting local Saskatchewan businesses and non-profits through our research activities. SaskWatch Research, an online market research community, powered by Insightrix, comprises more than 18,000 Saskatchewan residents who offer their opinions and feedback to help local businesses and non-profits! Many donate their earnings to local charities or spend it at local businesses in their region. We believe that a healthy presence of local, independent businesses is the very fabric of our community – where enterprises, associations, non-profits, and local governments work collectively to foster proactive communities - both big and small, urban or rural. *** To learn more about the Saskatchewan Business Impact Survey, visit https://insightrix.dev1.commandbase.ca/saskatchewan-covid-19-research-resource-centre/. For more information about Insightrix Research or SaskWatch Research and its Corporate Responsibility efforts in Saskatchewan, please visit https://insightrix.dev1.commandbase.ca/giving-back/. For more information about SaskWatch Research®, visit https://info.saskwatch.ca. A special thanks to Golden Media House, Little Manitou Art Gallery, Escape Sports, Adoption Support Centre of Saskatchewan, and SCAT Street Cat Rescue - Saskatoon for their contributions.    ...
 

In late January, Insightrix conducted an independent poll regarding Saskatchewan resident perceptions of Canada-U.S. relations, performance of Trump as president and opinions on other recent events. Here are the findings. We surveyed 801 Saskatchewan residents on our consumer panel, SaskWatch Research®. Quotas are set by age, gender and region to match the distribution of the adult population of the province. Data were collected between January 22-26, 2021. Seven in ten Saskatchewan residents disapprove of the way Donald Trump handled his job as president. Women and those living in Regina and Saskatoon are more likely to disapprove of his performance. q2: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump handled his job as president? Base: All respondents, n=801 Similarly, only seven in ten Saskatchewan residents trust the results of the U.S. election. Women and those in Regina and Saskatoon are more likely to trust the outcome. q3: Do you trust that the results of the 2020 American federal election are accurate? Base: All respondents, n=801 A similar proportion feel Donald Trump bears a lot of responsibility for the violence and destruction committed in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Fully 16% believe he does not bear any responsibility. Males and rural residents are more likely to hold this belief. q4: How much responsibility, if any, does Donald Trump bear for the violence and destruction committed by some of his supporters after they broke into the United States Capitol (January 6, 2021)? Base: All respondents, n=801 Despite President Biden’s executive order regarding Keystone XL, more than half of Saskatchewan residents believe Canada-U.S. relations will improve under a Biden-Harris administration. Those living in Regina and Saskatoon are more likely to believe it will get better. q1: Under Biden-Harris, do you expect Canada-U.S. relations to… Base: All respondents, n=801 Intent to be vaccinated On a different topic, seven in ten Saskatchewan residents say they will choose to be vaccinated when a vaccine becomes available to them.  q6: If a vaccine for the coronavirus is made available to you, will you choose to be vaccinated? Base: All respondents, n=801 *** Research Details A total of 801 randomly selected SaskWatch Research® panel members participated in the online research study between January 22 to 26, 2021. Quotas were set by age, gender and region to match the general population. Since the research is conducted online, it is considered to be a non-probability proportion sample; therefore, margins of error are not applicable. However, the margin of error can be estimated to be ±3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20 for questions answered by all respondents.  About SaskWatch Research® Insightrix began developing its SaskWatch Research online market research panel in 2007 using high-quality techniques, including telephone recruitment and referrals from existing panel members. Presently, there are more than 18,500 active panel members representing all regions of the province and distributions of the general population. Panel membership closely matches the 2016 Census, based on age, gender, household composition, household income and education. For more information, please visit http://info.saskwatch.ca/. About Insightrix Insightrix is a dynamic, Saskatchewan-based, full-service market research company. It serves businesses and government entities with insights-driven research solutions, and interpretive analysis through leading-edge tools and senior-level expertise across a broad range of industries. Insightrix is based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. For complete details visit:  https://insightrix.dev1.commandbase.ca/market-research-industry-blog/. *** For more information, please contact: Insightrix Research Inc.Tel: 306.657.5640Email: info@insightrix.dev1.commandbase.ca Web: insightrix.dev1.commandbase.ca ...
 

Recently, Insightrix Research independently ran a survey from November 26 to December 3, 2018, to find out more about whether the stockings in Saskatchewan were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. Residents share their insights on their holiday purchase intentions, including how much they plan to spend, where they plan to purchase gifts and their online holiday shopping behaviours in 2018. Of those surveyed… 93% of Saskatchewan residents say they plan to purchase holiday gifts this year. And as the prairie children were all nestled snug in their beds, some seniors and grandparents (55+) decided they did not want to bend. “Purchase gifts?” they said, with a big hefty sigh...