Conducting Political Research in Nevada

Client: The Nevada Independent

Project Title: IndyFest 2021 Focus Group Sessions

Background

The Nevada Independent kicked off in 2017 as the first statewide nonprofit news site dedicated to covering government, policy, politics, and people. The media outlet hosts an annual event, IndyFest, a two-day conference focused on policy and politics. 

The Problem

Seeking to add a new layer of interesting content to their annual event for the 2021 IndyFest, The Nevada Independent imaged the idea to create real focus groups of Nevada voters from different parties and conducted those focus groups live at their event. With focus groups being a traditional market research tactic, The Nevada Independent connected with our research team to develop such a program.

Methodology

To accomplish the goals of the project, we first developed a screening criteria of the different Nevada voters we sought to recruit – registered Democrats, Republicans and Independents, and Nevada Hispanic voters – and began recruitment for the live event through blind phone outreach, with eight individuals selected for each focus group. We also worked directly with the focus groups’ moderator, John Ralston, to develop a cutting-edge discussion guide for the groups that would create innovative, engaging content. Finally, on the day of the event, we coordinated on-site interviews, and helped produce the focus group events.

The Result

Thanks to our efforts, the focus group series was one of the most well-received topics at the 2021 IndyFest. Real Nevada voters were able to weigh in on their attitudes toward various national and local topics, and altogether the event yielded truly engaging content for the event.