GeoPoll Methodology
Why Choose Mobile
In emerging markets, where landlines are rare and Internet penetration is still low, mobile phones have been rapidly growing in penetration and are now a vital tool for communication. While conducting research in emerging markets has traditionally been done through face-to-face interviews, this process can be time-consuming and costly, requiring trained interviewers to travel long distances to survey just a few hundred households.
GeoPoll leverages the wide reach of mobile by conducting surveys remotely through respondents’ own mobile phones, meaning we can administer thousands of surveys a day quickly and cost-effectively. We can reach any type of mobile phone through multiple mobile-based modes, including SMS and voice call, allowing even those who do not have internet or who are illiterate to participate in our surveys.
Benefits of GeoPoll’s mobile-based methodology include:
- Wide reach and targeting: Our partnerships with Mobile Network Operators around the globe mean we can reach more than 250 million mobile subscribers, and we have more than 5 million active and profiled respondents who can be targeted by age, gender, location, and other key characteristics.
- Reduces economic barriers to participation: GeoPoll’s surveys are free to the respondent and can be sent even to phones which do not have airtime credit. we provide incentives via airtime credit, mobile money, and PayPal.
- Allows for anonymous responses: Our remote methodology means we can ask questions on sensitive topics which respondents may not be comfortable answering in the presence of an interviewer. GeoPoll takes data privacy and respondent anonymity seriously and never shares respondent phone numbers.
- Fast to deploy: GeoPoll can send surveys almost immediately upon receipt of a final questionnaire. Survey responses are delivered in real-time and GeoPoll can provide full results reports in just days. We are experienced in deploying surveys rapidly in fast-moving situations such as a natural disaster or conflict outbreak.
High-Quality Data from Around the World
Providing a high level of data quality and customer service is at the core of GeoPoll’s mission, which is why we have several mechanisms in place to ensure our survey methodology and respondent database meets the highest standards for market research.
GeoPoll is a corporate member of ESOMAR, and adheres to the ESOMAR International Code on Market, Opinion, and Social Research and Data Analytics, and we are also a member of the Pan-African Media Research Organization, which guides the collection of audience measurement data in Africa. In addition, GeoPoll works closely with our global research agency partners, including Kantar, Ipsos, and GFK, to regularly review our methodology as research methods and country populations evolve.
