Friends and clients:

Even as we all are closely following the developing news around the Coronavirus, please know that Public Opinion Strategies is uniquely prepared to keep moving forward.

First, let me report that having done The NBC/WSJ Poll over the last few days, response rates, the demographic profile of participants, and the actual data were unchanged from past tracks and quite solid.  Even as Americans process recent events, this is certainly not 9/11 when Americans’ attitudes significantly shifted across a range of measures.  The NBC/WSJ poll and other extensive client work through this weekend lead us to comfortably recommend that if you planned to be in the field, be in the field.

The primary phone center we use is also well equipped to continue to work during this time period.   They have phone centers in smaller communities in Ohio, Oregon, and Utah and are opening a new phone center in rural Idaho.  Even if one location should have a problem, we can continue to have work done at their other facilities.  While, of course, they are taking extra precautions in cleaning their centers and monitoring the health of their staff, they are operating without incident in terms of employee attendance.

We also do a significant volume of online polling and that remains an option.

Our clients’ travel restrictions have limited the number of focus groups planned in late March and early April. However, our firm is committed to the extensive use of qualitative research. We have the additional capability to conduct online bulletin board discussion groups.  Online bulletin boards have many of the same advantages as in-person focus groups, including being able to test visual material, sample advertising, and complex messaging material.   We do a lot of online bulletin boards and are very experienced with this research technique.  Learn more about online bulletin boards and all of our service offerings here. Specific information about online bulletin boards can be found in the “Qualitative Research” section under the header “Bulletin Board Discussion Groups.”

We just wanted to take a moment to share with you our confidence about continuing to conduct research on your behalf and share some of the reasons we are so well prepared to do so.

Thank you.

Bill