Editor’s note: John McKay is senior vice president at Data & Management Counsel, Inc., a Chadds Ford, Pa., research firm.

There are a number of important issues to consider when conducting exploratory or qualitative research with the Asian market. For one, recruiting respondents for qualitative research requires some sensitivity to Asian culture. Most new Asian immigrants are not accustomed to market research, and especially not focus groups. While they may be familiar with in-person interviewing, which is the predominant method of data collection in most Asian countries, such interviews are usually conducted in a person’s home, not at a central interviewing facility. Focus group facilities are rare in Asia.

Asian consumers are not accustomed to being asked to give their individual, honest opinions in a group setting because it draws attention to the individual. The Asian culture teaches that conformity is prized and any show of individualism or independent thinking is discouraged. Therefore, in a group setting, Asians tend to defer to the opinions of the majority or of the senior member of the group. A well-known Japanese proverb illustrates the mind-set: "The nail that sticks up gets pounded down." In some Asian cultures, the women will defer to the opinions of the men, and will not openly disagree with them. Because of these cultural differences, it is important to keep these factors in mind when designing a focus group project with Asian respondents:

  • For business-to-business focus groups, try to include people who are on the same level at different companies. If the group consists of a mix of management levels, the lower ranking respondents will defer to the opinions of the more senior managers.
  • Mixed-age or gender groups present a similar problem in some Asian cultures (e.g., Japanese). Often, younger people will defer to elders, and women to men. Consider splitting the group quota by gender, conducting half the groups with men only and half the groups with women only. It is usually safer to conduct groups within the same age cohort (e.g., 25 to 45) so there is not too vast an age difference between the oldest and youngest members of the group. Some Asian segments, such as Filipinos, have fewer problems mixing men and women in the same group. If in doubt, check with the Asian moderator.
  • It is best to keep the various Asian groups separated, as there are significant differences between the opinions and attitudes of Chinese versus Japanese, for example, and not all Asian groups get along well with each other. Conducting a "pan Asian" group mixed with Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, etc., is not recommended.

The benefits of group dynamics are largely ineffective with Asian respondents. Asian respondents tend to politely take turns responding to a direct question, and there is seldom any group interaction or debate over topics. The best approach may be to develop a group consensus of opinions, rather than to ferret out each individual’s opinion and encourage respondents to debate their differences.

Understand lifestyles and values

Qualitative research, such as focus groups and in-depth interviews, is crucial to help a marketer understand the lifestyles and values of the Asian-American market. Qualitative research provides valuable insight into how Asians articulate their opinions, attitudes and comprehension of key issues. Qualitative research can uncover cultural views, reveal specific needs, and answer behavioral and motivational questions that are difficult to determine through quantitative methods. Because the needs associated with Asian-American qualitative research are very similar for both focus groups and in-depth interviews, this article only examines the more prevalent focus group process. Some of the key factors to consider in designing a focus group project with Asian-Americans include: recruiting, screening for language dominance, and facility arrangements such as food/refreshments, incentive payments, and Asian language host/hostess.

Recruiting

A vital part of the research team is the recruiter responsible for locating qualified respondents for the research study. Not many focus group facilities have Asian recruiters on staff, or even know of any freelance recruiters. To locate a qualified recruiter, check with the Asian moderator, the focus group facility, other research suppliers engaged in multicultural research, or research managers at corporations or advertising agencies which are actively engaged in multicultural marketing.

It is important to have bilingual (Asian/English) recruiters involved in the recruiting process. This makes it easier for the researcher to communicate directly with the recruiters and answer any questions that arise during recruiting. Bilingual recruiters are able to speak with potential respondents in English and in the relevant Asian dialect, and thus will be able to assess each respondent’s level of proficiency in either language.

The recruiters should have access to the community and not be limited to telephone recruiting. With Asian research, it is the community contacts and in-person involvement that make the difference in recruiting respondents. Asian focus group recruits are notorious for poor show rates, but this is often due to a lack of direct personal contact in the community. Asian consumers are simply not accustomed to American research practices, and they may say they will come but change their minds if they get "cold feet." It is not unusual to recruit twice as many Asian respondents as needed, but this can be avoided if the recruiter has credibility within the community. Since most focus group facilities do not have extensive databases of Asian consumers (especially those who are Asian language-dominant), more creative recruiting methods must often be employed:

  • post signs or ads in local community centers, churches, and/or stores where the target group tends to congregate;
  • run ads in local Asian community newspapers, newsletters, or circulars;
  • conduct in-person, "on the street" recruiting in Asian neighborhoods and shopping areas;
  • offer a raffle to respondents who arrive at the facility at least 15 minutes early, and award a cash prize to the winner;
  • offer to provide transportation to and from the facility, such as taxi, bus or van.

Recruiting Asian respondents to an existing focus group facility is not always feasible, as the facilities may not be conveniently located to where the Asian population resides in the community. If there are no focus group facilities located near the targeted Asian community, then select a hotel or community center that is convenient to the community. The focus group facilities, moderator or recruiter may be able to recommend a suitable alternative site.

Screening for Asian language dominance

In a research project where the client requires the respondents to be Asian language-dominant, the screening questionnaire should include specific questions to help target respondents who primarily speak an Asian language rather than English. The series of questions used can be altered to suit the project objectives, as can the scales. The researcher and client should reach a mutual agreement on each question as to which responses qualify the respondent to continue the screening process or qualify for participation in the research. The researcher can use any one of the following questions or use a combination of two or more of these questions in the screener to ensure that the respondents are Asian language dominant.

  • Ask the respondents to indicate on a scale how much they speak the Asian language relative to English.
  • Ask the respondents to indicate on a scale how often they speak the Asian language at home.
  • Ask the respondents to indicate how many total hours in an average week they watch or listen to radio or television programming in the Asian language.
  • Inform the respondents that the group discussion will be conducted exclusively in the Asian language, and that some printed information will be displayed for them to read. Respondents must indicate they feel comfortable with their ability to speak and read in the Asian language fluently to participate fully in the group discussion.

Food/refreshments

In most cases, Asian respondents do not expect to eat a full, hot meal at the group, so it is usually best to just serve refreshments or snacks that are welcome in any culture: soda, coffee, hot tea, cookies, a fruit or vegetable tray. Catering special-order Asian food can be expensive and tricky to arrange, and freshness and quality may be suspect if the caterer is unfamiliar to the facility management.

  • Asian Indians are predominantly vegetarian, so serving the ubiquitous deli sandwiches to respondents is taboo.
  • It can be a nice touch to serve familiar food to respondents, like a traditional Japanese boxed lunch or dinner to Japanese respondents. With the variety of regional Chinese cuisines, however, it is probably best to refrain from serving Chinese food to Chinese respondents.

Incentive payments

It is recommended that all incentive payments made to Asian respondents, particularly for newer immigrants and less assimilated segments, be made in cash (paper currency), not personal checks (provided by the researcher or the focus group facility). In most cases, Asian immigrants do not have personal checking and savings accounts, so cashing checks can be problematic for respondents. Although check cashing centers are available in most urban areas, these centers charge a fee to cash checks, and that unfairly decreases the amount of incentive that the respondents receive.

Asian host/hostess

Focus group facilities routinely provide a host or hostess for the evening to greet respondents and to make sure they are fed and paid. When conducting focus groups with Asian respondents, especially for those who have little or no English proficiency, it is a nice touch to provide a host or hostess native to the culture who speaks the language. It is also helpful to post a sign printed in the Asian language outside the facility or on the door of the building to guide respondents to the proper suite. It is especially helpful if the person(s) involved in the recruiting can also act as host/hostess for the evening, since they will already have established contact with the respondents by telephone or in person. This advance familiarity with someone associated with the project may help respondents feel more comfortable about participating in the research.