There’s a quiet truth in research that we don’t talk about enough. It’s easy to say we care about “data quality.” To analyze response rates and optimize survey design. To talk about drop-offs and incidence rates and representative sample. But sometimes, in the middle of that operational focus, we forget what really matters:
A real person who took time out of their workday, or maybe their only break, to thoughtfully answer your questions. Someone who trusted you with their perspective, their lived experience, and maybe even their frustration. And for that, they deserve more than a transaction.
In the research world, it’s become way too easy to treat panels like inventory. Like something we pull off a shelf when we need it, then return to the warehouse.
But it is a big deal. Because if we want honest feedback, long-term engagement, and truly human insight, we can’t treat respondents like numbers. We need to treat them like people we’re in relationship with. That starts by recognizing that the panel isn’t a product. It’s a community. And communities require care.
It takes effort to participate in research when you’re running a food processing plant, coordinating job sites, or balancing HR responsibilities in a manufacturing facility, putting a new roof on someone’s home. And yet, these are the people showing up. They’re contributing to our workforce studies, our facility design surveys, our trend reports that get passed around executive meetings. They’re showing up even when they’re burned out. Even when they’re skeptical. Even when they’re not sure if their feedback will go anywhere. We owe it to them to make that effort worthwhile.
What does it mean to truly respect your panel? It means seeing panelists as partners, not just participants. It means making a promise, spoken or unspoken, that says:
At our organization, we’ve thought a lot about how to build relationships that last. Not just for a survey. Not just until the quota fills. But over time.
That’s why we prioritize things like:
These small things add up. And over time, they build trust.
Because when someone opens a survey invitation from us, it shouldn’t feel like spam. It should feel like an opportunity they trust. An experience they’re glad to participate in, not because of a $10 incentive, but because it feels like their voice has value. When that happens, we get better data. More thoughtful responses. More candid feedback. More participation over time. And frankly, a better reputation as researchers.
The panel is not your product. The relationship is. That means making space for reciprocity, not just reach. It means building connection, not just collection. And it means treating every panelist, whether they finish the survey or screen out in the first two minutes, with the same respect we expect when someone asks us for feedback.
A few questions worth asking • When’s the last time you said thank you to your panelists, outside of an incentive confirmation? • Do you send survey results back, even in small ways? • Do your survey designs reflect the time pressures and realities of busy professionals? • Are you thinking about the long-term relationship, or just the next quota?
We don’t always get it right. But we’re trying. Because at the end of the day, research is a conversation. And good conversations don’t happen without trust, mutual respect, and a little humanity. Let’s keep building that.
Contact: Ariane Claire, Research Director, myCLEARopinion Insights Hub
A1: Because partnership fosters trust, which directly improves both response quality and long-term engagement.
A2: Sharing results closes the loop, reinforcing that their input has real impact.
A3: Empathy ensures that research respects respondents’ time, expertise, and lived realities.