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In 2021, GeoPoll continued to expand our work conducting mobile-based research around the globe. As the world devised ways to cope with the coronavirus scourge, we continued to provide remote survey capabilities to international development organizations, brands, local NGOs and media houses. We enabled them to understand their audiences better to make accurate data-driven decisions. Our team continued to grow, supported by thousands of field teams in numerous countries and innovations to manage the growing data needs.
In this article, we touch on a few highlights from GeoPoll’s 2021:
The Ongoing Impact of COVID-19 and Vaccine Acceptance
The collective hope at the beginning of the year was that life would regain normalcy in 2021 after a tumultuous, pandemic-ridden 2020. With the vaccines being rolled out and people learning how to cope with the virus, a bit of normalcy returned, but the impacts continue to be felt. In 2021, we took every opportunity to investigate the ongoing effects of coronavirus on people in several countries. We released a major tracker report on the ongoing impact of COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa and a more extensive report covering Africa, Asia and Latin America with more follow-up surveys in between.
Gender Equality in Africa
To mark International Women’s Day, GeoPoll conducted a study on gender equality in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa in the first week of March 2021. The survey gathered data on realities and perceptions about International Women’s Day, gender equality in various spheres of life such as the workplace and school, gender discrimination and harassment, actions regarding gender inequality, and hopes for gender equality in the future. We released the report here and had a highly informative GeoPoll Talks discussion about the position of women in Africa, which you can listen to here.
Brand Africa 100 – The Top Brands in Africa 2021
GeoPoll once again partnered with Brand Africa and others on the 2021 Brand Africa 100, an annual list of the top brands in Africa overall and in select key sectors. This year, the report was launched on Africa Day, as usual, and through seven virtual events in seven countries – Uganda, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Nigeria, Morocco, and Cote D’Ivoire.
2020 Tokyo Olympics Consumer Interest, Viewing Intent, and Betting Behaviors
The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics was unique in that it happened in 2021, after being postponed from the previous year and the events took place entirely behind closed doors in the Japanese capital, which had declared a state of emergency due to the pandemic. GeoPoll conducted a survey in nine countries to gather information on planned viewing habits, betting activities, and brand/ad awareness surrounding the Olympics. It was the first time GeoPoll conducted a major study in some of the countries involved, further showing our versatility and ability to reach uncharted waters.
Conflict in Afghanistan and Ethiopia
GeoPoll is known for conducting surveys remotely, even in areas that are hard to reach due to natural calamities, disease, and war. In 2021, following the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan and the takeover by the Taliban, leading to a dire humanitarian crisis, GeoPoll managed to remotely conduct surveys in the country to collect on the ground data on concerns, humanitarian needs, access to essentials, and food security among other topics. GeoPoll also conducted a survey in Pakistan to assess Pakistanis’ perceptions of the US troop withdrawal and the resulting influx of Afghan refugees.
In other news, the Ethiopia conflict started in Northern Ethiopia (which we covered at the end of 2020) and expanded into a nationwide crisis that continues to threaten the peace and wellbeing of one of Eastern Africa’s powerhouses. GeoPoll conducted another survey in Ethiopia in December, 2021 to assess the situation on the ground and recently released the report.
GeoPoll Started Conducting Surveys via WhatsApp
WhatsApp is, factually, the top mobile app in the world. It is the most widely used messaging app globally and has become an essential part of most smartphone users’ day-to-day life. As such, it is safe to assume that WhatsApp is a great way to reach many people for a variety of reasons, including for surveys. WhatsApp is a relatively inexpensive communication method, familiar to many people, and can involve rich content such as audio, video and pictorial messages, shared both ways. That’s why GeoPoll tapped into the Meta App to provide a new research mode, loaded with benefits, for our clients to conduct surveys.
Here’s to a great 2022!
We are happy to celebrate 2021 and wish to thank our staff, clients, and community of respondents for enabling us to take significant steps forward this year. We wish you and your families an even greater 2022, and are ready to serve you with your various research needs. To learn more about our research methodologies or to get a quote for your next research project, please feel free to contact us.