If you’re working within the humanitarian system, the following responses to questions frequently asked of social scientists during emergencies can be helpful to foster an understanding and appreciation of the rationale for social scientists’ work:
Question: “Quantitative methods tell me everything I need to know. What are qualitative methods useful for anyway?”
Answer: Let your questioner know that qualitative and quantitative methods are complementary, not competitive. Both are used by social scientists. It is not about one versus another – it is about what responders need to know and what method is best able to capture the needed information in a given situation.
Q. “How can I rely on qualitative data that is not representative?”
A. It’s not about the total number of people spoken with, it’s about speaking with the right person or people at the right time and getting in-depth answers to key questions which responders need to act and respond appropriately. Humanitarian actors working in crisis contexts do not always need data that can be generalised, especially if a specific group (or groups) are more vulnerable to the crisis. And there is nothing within humanitarian principles that says X numbers of people need to experience the same situation before actors act. Every voice counts.
Q. “Doesn’t it take months to organise a social science study? I don’t have this kind of time to wait for data to be collected and analysed.”
A. Do you have three days? With three days and a small assessment team, social scientists can do a rapid qualitative assessment (RQA) and provide you with actionable findings. And further rapid assessments can keep delivering insights to support ongoing operations.
Q. “Maybe we can do a KAP study instead? That gives you the kind of details needed, right? And it’s quantitative.”
A. A KAP – Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices – study will require significant financial and human resource investments, and the findings it produces will likely not be available for months. Let’s focus on what we can do right now, within the next few days and weeks, to be purposive and collect the kinds of insights you need.
Q. “What does ‘purposive’ mean?”
A. ‘Purposive’ means that I have consciously or intentionally selected who I need to speak with to answer key operational questions. Unlike random sampling, which aims to create a representative sample of a larger population, purposive sampling deliberately focuses on individuals or groups with particular experiences or knowledge that can provide in-depth insights. Purposive means, for example, that I’m paying attention to those most affected by crisis. It means that when I show up and ask people to speak about their experiences, I’m paying attention.
Q. “So what you’re telling me is that you want to do a few interviews and focus group discussions? Something ‘quick and dirty’?”
A. Rapid does not mean ‘dirty’ or invalid. What it can and should mean, however, is that it quickly produces insights that can be operationalised or applied. Social science data and insights can be fast and actionable, without compromising on quality. Quality is about knowing your methodology and who you need to speak with to answer key ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions. A ‘quick and clean’ rapid social science assessment means having targeted questions prepared in consultation with relevant response pillars and/or humanitarian cluster leads. It also means: identifying and going directly to those respondent groups who have this information; convening a small local team with access to those populations; and potentially utilising RQA methodology for rapid data collection and analysis.
Advice for emerging social scientists
Being questioned about your methodology is not a bad thing. At the very least, it means someone has been paying attention to something you have said. Embrace these kinds of questions as an opportunity to share knowledge about what social science methods are – especially qualitative methods – and what they can do for rapidly informing an emergency response. Keep in mind that you may be speaking with people who have no background in qualitative methods and/or who have been taught that quantitative methods are the ‘gold standard’.
Note that there has been a fascination with KAP studies among international development professionals within the last few decades and this methodology has begun to creep into the emergency response sector, especially for outbreak response. A KAP survey is a quantitative method with predefined response options formatted into a standardised questionnaire. These options are intended to uncover misconceptions or misunderstandings that present potential barriers to behaviour change. A KAP can be a useful data collection tool under certain conditions, i.e., when baseline data is required to evaluate a programme. However, this type of survey is not an operational tool for emergency responders working in time-sensitive contexts.
Avoid the phase ‘quick and dirty’, as it undermines the core agenda of giving response actors confidence in you and the insights you can provide.
Responses such as those above can help you to:
- Highlight the unique insights that social science evidence gives about the needs and concerns of affected communities.
- Advocate for the inclusion of social scientists in emergency planning, ideally before a crisis begins.
- Challenge the myth that social science research is too slow or that it is not representative in an emergency setting.
Dr Ginger A. Johnson is a medical anthropologist with over 15 years of experience working within the UN system and with international humanitarian organisations. She co-founded the Rapid Research Evaluation and Appraisal Lab, co-developed the Collective Service’s Social Science for Emergency Preparedness and Response training package, and has recently co-facilitated Rapid Qualitative Assessment courses conducted on behalf of UN/INGOs in the East and Southern Africa for the Collective Service and SSHAP. You can listen to her recent podcast focusing on unpacking qualitative research in emergency response recorded by the Qualitative Applied Health Research Centre at King’s College London.
- Do you have any additional tips to share based on your work and experience? Do you need support in undertaking rapid social science in emergencies? If so, please reach out to Annie Lowden (a.lowden[@]ids.ac.uk) or Juliet Bedford (julietbedford[@]anthrologica.com).
