From Ancestry to Insights

Lessons from Genealogy for Public Opinion Research

I pursued a career in public opinion research because it appeals to my sense of curiosity and my love of attaining knowledge for its own sake. Like many of my colleagues at Environics Research, there’s nothing I love more than learning something new, and sharing that knowledge with others.

This drive toward learning is also what led me to my passion for genealogical research. I came to genealogy innocently enough, with a mild curiosity about some interesting family lore and a hunch about the Mayflower. I quickly caught the genealogy bug, and for more than ten years I’ve been building family trees and sharing my discoveries with anybody who will listen.

Beyond what I’ve learned about my origins across different places and times in history, genealogy has also strengthened many of the core research skills that apply to my work in public opinion research.

Here are some key lessons from my genealogy experience that I have brought with me to public opinion research:

Rigorous scrutiny of source material is essential
Before you get attached to a story, the data behind it needs to be sound, or else it won’t have credibility with your audience. Whether it’s checking numbers or checking for names and dates in a weathered document from 1756, your facts are the backbone of the story and those facts need to be sound and defensible.

Be resourceful about your research approach
In genealogy research, information can be hard to find because documents go missing, they aren’t filed correctly, or they didn’t exist to begin with. Genealogists will go to incredible lengths to track down old census records, family bibles, history books, and other documents to piece together a family tree. This kind of persistence can be applied to public opinion research with people who are hard to reach, like low incidence populations or specific stakeholder groups. Be resourceful about sources, put in the legwork, and consider non-traditional alternatives to find the people you need to speak to.

Collaboration is crucial
Genealogists readily share their work and their resources with each other, building on common ancestors who have already been thoroughly researched by somebody else. Instead of re-hashing old work, we confirm it, and focus on new areas that are less explored. This mindset can be applied to public opinion research to drive ideas forward and bring more value to clients. Assess what is already well-known and established from your client’s past research, recognize that knowledge with them, and forge new paths to deeper insights. It’s also important to lean on the wisdom and past experiences of your colleagues, so you can focus more of your energy on what is new and unique to your project.

Learn how to apply conjecture to create a whole picture from the small pieces
With all research, there is a point where data and facts end, and interpretation begins. Genealogists try to draw a picture of someone’s life from the facts we can piece together. When we reach the limits of our data, we cautiously fill in the unknown details with conjecture based on our knowledge and our expertise, being careful to always underscore the facts first. With public opinion research, we do the same thing when we interpret our data. Well-informed conjecture is what turns the core of our story, built on facts, into something truly engaging and actionable for clients. Thoughtful interpretation will make your research more memorable and useful for your clients.

Enjoy the journey and take pride in what you’ve learned
Genealogy research has led me to travel, learn more about history, and build an adult friendship with my mother, who is often my research partner. We both love solving mysteries and sharing what we’ve learned with our family and friends. I feel much the same way about my work in public opinion research. It is fun to collaborate with my excellent colleagues, and truly rewarding to build engaging narratives that address our client’s objectives and illuminate the path forward.

In addition to her work as Senior Research Associate at Environics Research, Stephanie Coulter is Regent of the Bytown Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, a lineage-based service organization for women. After more than a decade of research, she recently discovered her first genealogical pathway to the Mayflower and intends to spend the next decade proving it!

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