A non-standard research always poses a number of challenges but successfully completed bring unique knowledge. In the case of the study on the use of the Internet in villages and small towns, which our analysts prepared for NEXERA, we not only provided new knowledge, but also implemented a socially important project, in line with the global trend.
Read more about the NEXERA Regions report: Raport: Coraz więcej (szybkiego) internetu w życiu codziennym małych miejscowości w Polsce - InsightOut Lab
The NEXERA Regions report is an excellent example of how to successfully conduct a non-standard study, and at the same time create a socially important project and fit into the global trend. The research challenge was to study not the inhabitants of small towns as a whole, but to look at several segments of these communities: residents, officials, teachers and business representatives. Taking up this topic is at the same time entering into a socially important trend of research devoted to rural areas. And this is all the more important because we are dealing with an initiative of a private company and not a public institution.
The research challenge related to the NEXERA Regions report was to complete representative groups in each of the segments of the local community of interest to us. The key to success was flexibility in the methodological approach, in-depth understanding of the specifics of local communities and selection of appropriate partners for the implementation of the study. Thanks to this, it was possible to successfully conduct the study using various research methods (CAWI, CATI, CAPI). We kept these methodological differences in mind when interpreting the results.
The NEXERA Regions report is part of a socially important trend of research focused on rural areas and small towns in the context of access to high-speed internet. There is worldwide interest in how rural communities are adapting to the digital age and how they benefit from new technologies. International organizations such as the World Bank and the International Telecommunication Union, as well as the European Commission and the US administration, have a lot to say on this subject. Recently, this topic has been updated by the pandemic, bringing work from both researchers from the US and Europe.
Our study stands out against this background because it is conducted by a private company, not a public institution. This demonstrates the growing awareness of the private sector of the importance of rural areas in the digital landscape and the active role of enterprises in researching and shaping this area.
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