Finding the right angle
Finding respondents is one thing, getting them to open up is another. It’s all about finding the right angle. Sometimes you make the basket on your first try, but more often, it takes patience, timing, and a few rebounds.
Trust in research relationships
I place a lot of value on trust in research relationships. And since we're all human, trust often flows through the people we already know. Oh, if this researcher has a good relationship with someone I trust, then it should be fine.
That’s why snowball sampling is one of my preferred methods for gathering data. It builds on existing relationships and creates a sense of familiarity. But trust can be fragile, and sometimes, it shifts. What starts as openness can turn into hesitation, or even refusal to participate.
This week in the field: Two conversations
Just this week, an Egyptian man living in Morocco suddenly backed out of an interview. We had met through a mutual friend, and the fact that we both speak Egyptian Arabic created an immediate sense of trust. But then came the informed consent form. It unsettled him so much that he chose to withdraw. It felt far more formal than he had expected — and despite holding a valid residency permit, he feared it might somehow put him at risk of losing it.
That same week, I interviewed a respondent from Cameroon — someone I had never met before. He didn’t hold a regular residency permit, yet he spoke freely and at length, as if he genuinely wanted to share his story. And it seemed he did.
Finding the right angle isn’t easy. Trust is delicate. Patience and stamina prerequisites.