Hard-to-Reach Audiences

Equity-focused research designed to reach underrepresented and hard-to-reach audiences.

Our Experience

At Environics Research, we have spent years refining our approach to engaging low-incidence and hard-to-reach populations, becoming a trusted partner for organizations and governments that prioritize diverse representation in their research. We know that conducting research with these communities requires a thoughtful approach that considers their lived experiences, meets them where they are, and fosters genuine engagement.

We have a diverse team of researchers who speak 16 languages and bring a range of lived experiences to their research. The composition of our own team helps to deepen our understanding of barriers to participation and the distinct drivers that can support encourage engagement for specific groups. To promote inclusion, we use multiple recruitment methods, from social recruitment to community partnerships, rather than relying solely on traditional panels.

Client Testimonial

Environics Research really understood our desire to hear from different population segments across the country about the future of health care. They tailored their approach by designing a consultation for our specific needs with engagement activities that made sure we didn’t miss the viewpoints of any groups. On top of that, when the pandemic hit, their team came up with an agile method of seamlessly capturing COVID-related changes to attitudes and perceptions.”

Shelagh Maloney – Canada Health Infoway

Former Executive Vice President, Engagement and Marketing

Our Approach

We take a strategic, equity-driven approach to research design, using robust planning processes and environmental scans to ensure we ask the most relevant questions while respecting participants’ time. A combination of our extensive past experience and our commitment to thorough preparation — “doing our homework” — before engaging research participants allows us to gather deep insights without burdening participant groups. Ultimately, this work helps our clients and partners make informed decisions that reflect the full spectrum of voices in the communities they serve.

The most challenging research is often with specific target audiences who may be difficult to locate, resistant to participation or a puzzle to understand. Our qualitative research often also involves sensitive topics where participants may be reluctant to share their full experiences or opinions. Environics has a well-developed capability and track record in effectively identifying, contacting and interacting with a wide range of target populations, as defined by ethnic or cultural identity, age and socio-economic status, geography, occupation, and lifestyle or behavioural characteristics, including the following:

Ethnic/Cultural groups

Personal care workers

Immigrants/newcomers

Indigenous Peoples

Low-income Canadians

Northern residents

Key Opinion leaders

People with chronic health problems

People with disabilities

Healthcare Professionals

People from the 2SLTBQ+ community

Plus much more

This is not an exhaustive list of the target audiences with whom Environics has conducted research, but simply provides examples illustrating our capabilities for conducting research with and providing accommodations for these types of audiences.

Explore Insights

Article

Thought Leaders

What we learned from 2SLGBTQ+ Communities in 2025

06/23/25

Vijay Wadhawan

Article

Consulting

Trying to conduct Inclusive Research? Here’s why you may not be doing it right…

04/13/22

Victoria Sicilia

Article

Consulting

Research with Indigenous audiences – 5 Reflective Tips

05/14/24

Sarah Roberton

Frequently Asked Questions

Hard-to-reach or low-incidence populations are specific target audiences who may be difficult to locate, resistant to participation, or a puzzle to understand. These groups often represent a small proportion of the broader population, making them statistically uncommon in most sampling frames. As a result, they typically do not appear on traditional research panels in sufficient numbers.

These populations may be defined by ethnic or cultural identity, age, socio-economic status, geography, occupation, or lifestyle and behavioural characteristics. To engage them effectively, we use a multi-channel recruitment approach. Partnering with community organizations, leveraging targeted outreach, and tailoring our methods to ensure high-quality and representative participation.

Conducting research with these communities requires a thoughtful approach that considers their lived experiences, meets them where they are, and fosters genuine engagement. At Environics, we use multiple recruitment methods from social recruitment to community partnerships, rather than relying solely on traditional panels.

Equally important is our upfront planning process, which includes conducting environmental scans and reviewing existing literature or data. This helps ensure we’re not repeating questions that have already been asked and allows us to focus on generating new, meaningful insights.

We also aim to close the loop by feeding insights back to the communities we engage with, helping to build trust, demonstrate accountability, and show that their contributions are valued.

We take a strategic, equity-driven approach to research design, using environmental scans to ensure we ask the most relevant questions while respecting participants’ time. Our diverse team and commitment to “doing our homework” helps us foster inclusion and gather deep insights. Where possible, we bring in community partners with lived experience to help shape the research process. In particular, for our work with Indigenous communities, we aim to support approaches where the research is Indigenous-led or visibly Indigenous-facing, while we provide capacity-building and structural support in the background. This helps ensure the work is both culturally grounded and sustainable.

Including diverse voices ensures that organizations and governments can make informed decisions that reflect the full spectrum of voices in the communities they serve. This leads to more equitable, accurate, and actionable insights.

Vijay Wadhawan

Group VP at Environics Research

Contact Us

Connect with our experts

Vijay Wadhawan, Group VP of Health and Wellness, brings 15+ years of experience across the healthcare ecosystem. As a queer, racialized, and neurodivergent researcher, he’s honed a unique ability to listen deeply, ask the right questions, and uncover insights that others might miss. He leads with empathy and curiosity, helping organizations engage meaningfully with communities that are often overlooked.