In search of the truth: Why showing up still matters
In a world overflowing with screens, notifications and noise, it’s easy to swipe away the next survey invite that lands in our inbox. But when someone knocks on the door, a real person, showing up to listen, everything changes. That moment of presence and connection is at the heart of Neil Tee’s talk, In search of the truth: Why showing up still matters.
Drawing on 15 years of experience leading nationwide survey programmes, Neil described how declining participation across all modes - online, phone and in-person, has opened up a “truth gap” between the data we collect and the lived experiences we aim to understand. Even with robust designs, today’s researchers face new challenges: time-poor respondents, digital fatigue, privacy concerns, mistrust of institutions, and persistent anti-government sentiment. While lower response rates don’t automatically mean biased data, the risk is growing that the hardest-to-reach voices (younger people, Māori, Pasifika, lower-income and digitally excluded groups) are disappearing from the story altogether.
For Ipsos, the answer lies not just in new technology, but in human connection. Interviewers described the “mountain climb” of securing participation – moving from initial refusal to curiosity, to trust, to genuine engagement. Through persistence, empathy, flexibility, and clear framing of why the survey matters, they transform reluctance into contribution. One interviewer recalled a respondent saying, “I never thought doing a survey would save my life,” after a blood pressure measurement taken during the interview led to them seeking medical advice. Others spoke of people who opened up about long-untold stories, found encouragement, or simply felt heard for the first time. These are reminders that research, done well, is more than data collection, it’s an act of listening.
Neil also shared how Ipsos is embracing blended designs that merge digital efficiency with human presence. In one Te Puni Kōkiri project, a mix of online panels, river sampling, and face-to-face intercepts achieved a rich and representative Māori sample within tight timelines. Another mixed-mode pilot tested a mailed push-to-web invitation followed by in-person visits, achieving a 40% response rate, with half of completes coming after personal contact. Across both, success hinged on legitimacy, clarity, and trust: branding, helplines, and QR codes helped reassure respondents, while the kanohi-ki-te-kanohi element gave mana to the process.
Looking ahead, Neil noted that emerging technologies, from AI interviewers to synthetic data, will reshape how we collect and interpret information. Yet he argued that the human interviewer will remain irreplaceable: the bridge to communities with low institutional trust, the listener who brings empathy and nuance, the person who can turn participation into pride.
“Face-to-face may soon become the ultimate disruptive method – precisely because it’s rare, personal, and powerful.”
In a digital-first world, showing up still matters, perhaps more than ever.
