It would seem that once a well-conducted study can be the basis of the analysis for many years. However, there are industries in which the attitude of respondents to the phenomena studied changes very quickly and it is this change, made under the influence of various factors, that is of key importance. In such situations, it is best to reach for special kind of research: panel studies, the aim of which is to investigate changes occurring over time for the analyzed phenomenon.
What is the difference between panel research and other methods?
Due to the emphasis on changing behavior, opinions or respondents’ answers during this research, they are characterized by, among others:
- repeatability – are carried out repeatedly,
- always the same group of respondents,
- using the same research tool (interview, survey, questionnaire, case study, etc.).
When to reach for panel research?
First of all, when we want to determine the impact of an event on the behavior of our respondents. Examples of such type of events are, for example, advertising campaigns or the introduction of benefits for employees (the study will determine, for example, if and how it influenced the increase in sales or motivation to work).